This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1922. 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.

The petroleum contamination at this property — NWTPH-Gasoline, BTEX compounds, and total lead — originated from underground storage tanks installed and operating by at least 1922, more than six decades before 1986 when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were still the industry standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion. Documented remediation expenditures here span soil excavation, tank removal, groundwater extraction, and vapor barrier installation — a cost trail tied directly to those pre-1986 fueling operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the decades this site dispensed gasoline may be obligated to both recover those cleanup costs and fund remediation work that remains 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.