This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1947. 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 site originated from service station operations that began in 1947 — nearly four decades before occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies gave way to claims-made forms with pollution exclusions. The carriers who issued CGL policies to Signal Oil and subsequent operators during that 1947–1962 window did so under terms that covered gradual, ongoing releases without an effective pollution exclusion under Washington law. Documented remediation expenditures — 900 tons of soil removal, bioremediation injections, eighteen years of groundwater monitoring, and an outstanding environmental covenant — represent costs those historical policies may still be obligated to fund.

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.