This property has a documented history as a dry cleaning facility going back to 1966. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
Jiffy Cleaners operated at the southwest corner of what is now the Safeway Fuel Center property in Port Angeles from approximately 1966 to 2001, releasing halogenated volatile organic compounds — principally PCE and TCE — into soil and groundwater beneath two adjacent parcels. In 2003, seven underground storage tanks and 4,250 tons of contaminated soil were removed from the site, and Hydrogen-Releasing Compound was placed for in-situ bioremediation. Remediation under the Voluntary Cleanup Program is ongoing, with current work focused on enhanced bioremediation through direct injection of treatment substrates; the preferred cleanup alternative carries an estimated cost of $502,900, with multi-year investigations and monitoring continuing. That history could support an insurance cost recovery claim against carriers who issued insurance policies 40+ years ago.
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 chlorinated-solvent contamination at this property originated from dry cleaning operations that began in 1966 — nearly two decades before occurrence-based CGL policies began routinely excluding pollution claims. The HVOC plume now affecting both the Safeway Store and Fuel Center parcels is precisely the type of gradual, long-running release those pre-1986 policies were written to cover. Documented remediation costs already run from the 2003 excavation and tank removals through successive bioremediation campaigns, and the preferred remediation alternative projects more than $500,000 in additional expenditure; historical carriers whose policies were in force during Jiffy Cleaners' pre-1986 operational years may be obligated both to recover past costs and to fund the cleanup 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.
What We Look For
- Historical insurance policies (pre-1986)
- Policy numbers, carrier names, and coverage periods
- Connection between contamination timing and policy period
- Evidence linking cleanup obligation to insured activity
What We Deliver
- Historical Coverage Chart
- Trigger Analysis & Property/Policy Nexus
- Coverage strategy with recommendations
- Insurance funding for your remediation
- Claims Management & Forensic Accounting
The Restorical Proven Process
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Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
