This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal 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 contamination at this site originated from fueling and maintenance operations at a trucking terminal that was operational well before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The slow, cumulative nature of diesel and fuel-oil releases from daily terminal operations is precisely the kind of ongoing occurrence those pre-1986 policies were written to cover. Remediation costs already incurred — chemical oxidation, trench installation, years of groundwater monitoring — and the costs of continued cleanup may be recoverable from historical carriers whose policies were in force during the decades of contaminating operations.

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.