This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal predating 1986. 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.

The petroleum contamination at this bulk plant originated from large-scale fuel storage infrastructure that was in place well before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The documented remediation expenditures — tank removal, excavation and thermal treatment of 1,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil, years of groundwater monitoring, and further subsurface investigation — represent cleanup costs tied directly to those pre-1986 operations. Because cleanup work at the site remains ongoing, historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the bulk plant's operating years may be obligated both to recover past remediation costs and to fund the work still ahead.

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.