This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal going back to 1969. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property 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 releases at this facility began around 1969 and continued through the late 1970s — more than a decade before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies still carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The operators during that window, including R.M. Distributing Company (prior to 1982), held CGL policies that may cover the decades of remediation expenditures this site has generated: groundwater treatment infrastructure, vapor extraction, tank rehabilitation, and long-term monitoring. With cleanup still underway, historical carriers may be obligated both to reimburse past costs and to fund the remediation work that remains.

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.