This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station predating 1986. 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 station originated from underground storage tanks that were in service well before 1986 — the presence of regular leaded gasoline in the USTs alone confirms pre-1986 operations. Occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies issued to the station operators during that era carried no effective pollution exclusion under Washington law and remain enforceable today. The site's four-decade remediation record — repeated excavations, groundwater recovery, vapor extraction, long-term monitoring, and still-pending soil work — represents both recoverable past expenditures and prospective cleanup costs that historical carriers may 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.