This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.
This property served as part of the former United States Navy Battle Point Radio Transmitting Station, which included a gas station with underground storage tanks — among them a 2,500-gallon gasoline tank. Cleanup under the Standard Cleanup program included demolition of an incinerator, electrical substation, and sewage treatment system, along with UST removals in two phases: two tanks in 1991 and seven tanks in 1996. Soil excavation addressed petroleum contamination from leaking USTs, though some areas saw incomplete removal due to site constraints. The site has received a No Further Action determination. 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 gasoline USTs at this former Navy facility were installed and operated years before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The contamination discovered in 1990 — petroleum releases from underground storage tanks that had been leaking over an extended operational life — is precisely the kind of gradual, ongoing occurrence those pre-1986 policies were written to cover. Documented remediation costs spanning tank removals, soil excavation, and facility demolition represent expenditures that historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the operational window may still be obligated to reimburse.
Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful cost recovery claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage for costs already incurred. Restorical's forensic accounting team works to re-establish and document past cleanup expenditures, ensuring the strongest possible basis for recovery.
Recovering Costs from an Older Cleanup
If this site reached No Further Action years ago, the original cleanup expenditures may be difficult to reconstruct. Restorical's forensic accounting team specializes in re-establishing and documenting past cleanup costs — even decades later — to build the strongest possible basis for an insurance recovery claim.
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.
