This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1969. 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 underground storage tanks removed in 1994 are estimated to have been installed around 1969, placing this station's fueling operations squarely within the era of occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies that carried no effective pollution exclusion. The petroleum release discovered during tank replacement is the kind of long-duration, below-grade contamination those pre-1986 policies were written to cover. Decades of cleanup review, site characterization, and performance monitoring represent recoverable expenditures that historical carriers who insured the station during its pre-1986 operating years 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.