This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1864. 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.

Industrial operations at this property — sawmilling, smelting, and foundry work — spanned from the 1860s through 1984, encompassing the entire era in which occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were issued without effective pollution exclusions. Investigation and characterization costs at the site are already being incurred, and the remediation design and cleanup that follow will generate substantial additional expenditures. Carriers who issued CGL policies to operators of this property during that multi-decade window — whether during the mill's active years or the Port Blakely Mill Company's post-1922 management period — may be obligated both to recover costs already expended and to fund the remediation 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.