This property has a documented history as a property with a heating oil tank going back to 1911. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
The Arnold Building in Hoquiam was constructed in 1911 and relied on a heating oil underground storage tank over its operational life. During demolition activities, a compromised 1,700-gallon heating oil UST was discovered with petroleum-contaminated soil at the tank footprint; cleanup actions in January 2012 included removal of the tank and excavation and offsite disposal of 100 tons of contaminated soil. The site remains on Washington State's contaminated sites list, with ongoing cleanup required and documented correspondence from 2021 and 2025 reflecting continued work through the PLIA Technical Assistance Program, including waste management from investigations and borehole abandonment. 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 petroleum contamination at this property originated from a heating oil tank that served a building constructed in 1911 — more than seven decades before occurrence-based CGL policies stopped reliably covering pollution releases. Those pre-1986 policies carried no effective pollution exclusion and were in effect throughout the building's long operational history. The site's documented and continuing remediation costs — tank removal, excavation of 100 tons of impacted soil, ongoing investigation, and borehole abandonment — represent expenditures that historical carriers may be obligated both to recover and to fund as cleanup proceeds.
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.
