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 traces directly to underground storage tanks installed in 1947 and operated for decades — nearly four decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies still carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The remediation cost trail here is substantial and still growing: past cleanup work is already on the books, and a $1.2 million phase of excavation, groundwater treatment, and bioremediation lies ahead. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies covering this property during that pre-1986 operational window may be obligated both to reimburse costs already incurred and to fund the cleanup work still to come.

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.