This property has a documented history as a public works and maintenance facility going back to 1968. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.

Why Historical Insurance Policies May Be Accessible

Pre-1986 Commercial General Liability (CGL) policies were occurrence-based and did not contain an effective pollution exclusion in Washington. If contamination occurred while those policies were active, those historical insurance carriers may still have a legal obligation to fund the cleanup costs, even if the business closed or the property changed hands.

Petroleum contamination at this facility traces to fuel storage and distribution infrastructure installed and operated decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The remediation record already spans three decades — tank removals, large-scale soil excavation, bioremediation — and the 2024 assessment confirms that additional delineation and monitoring costs lie ahead. Historical carriers whose CGL policies were in force during the pre-1986 operational window may be obligated both to recover past cleanup expenditures and to fund the remediation work still to come.

Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful coverage claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage. Restorical then manages the claim, including accounting, to ensure the cleanup is funded in a timely manner.