This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1920. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.

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 PCB and petroleum contamination documented at this site originated from industrial operations that began more than six decades before 1986, the year occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies ceased to reliably cover pollution claims in Washington. Multiple operators held the facility during the pre-1986 window — each potentially insured under policies that carried no effective pollution exclusion — and the UST and PCB remediation work completed in 1985–1986 demonstrates that cleanup costs tied to that era were already being incurred. With the site still carrying an Awaiting Cleanup designation, the full scope of future investigation and remediation expenditures remains ahead, and historical carriers whose policies were in force during those decades of cement, fuel, and transformer operations may be obligated to fund them.

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.