This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal going back to 1937. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
This property has a history of industrial use dating to 1937, when asphalt manufacturing began on site; underground storage tanks were installed by 1964, and PCB-contaminated oil was used as fuel prior to 1971. Basin Oil Co. later operated an oil recycling and reprocessing facility here beginning in 1990, storing petroleum-based oils and waste products — metalworking fluids, brake fluids, diesel, crude oil, Bunker C oil, and oil-water separator sludge — in approximately 22 aboveground storage tanks with a combined capacity of 150,000 gallons. Cleanup under the Voluntary Cleanup Program has included removal of 34 tanks, excavation of 265 tons of contaminated soil and 360 tons of concrete, building demolition, and site restoration, while surrounding properties have required excavation of up to 60,000 tons of impacted soil and sediment. Remediation is ongoing. 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.
Contamination at this property stems from long-term oil recycling operations and historical asphalt manufacturing stretching back to 1937 — nearly five decades before occurrence-based CGL policies ceased reliably covering pollution claims in 1986. The documented use of PCB-contaminated oil as fuel prior to 1971 and the installation of underground storage tanks by 1964 anchor the contamination's origin squarely within the pre-1986 policy window. The scale of remediation already incurred and still ahead — tank removals, large-scale soil excavation, building demolition, and ongoing monitoring across multiple properties — represents the type of cumulative cleanup expenditure that historical carriers who issued policies during those operational decades may be obligated both to recover and to fund going forward.
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
Ready to learn more?
Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
