This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1963. 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.

The underground storage tanks removed from this property in 1988 were likely installed around 1963, placing the origin of contamination squarely within the era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. Decades of documented remediation expenditures — tank removals, large-scale soil excavation, long-term groundwater monitoring, and now engineered bioremediation — were incurred to address releases tied to those pre-1986 fueling operations. With cleanup still underway, historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the facility's early operational window may be obligated both to recover past costs and to fund the remediation work 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.