This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal going back to 1955. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations 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 petroleum contamination at this railyard traces directly to locomotive fueling operations that began in the mid-1950s — more than three decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were the industry standard and contained no effective pollution exclusion. The scale of fuel throughput here — 2.6 million gallons per month distributed through equipment installed as early as 1958 — created conditions for chronic petroleum releases across the entire pre-1986 policy window. Historical carriers who issued CGL coverage to Burlington Northern Railroad during those decades of active fueling may be obligated to fund the remediation costs this site now faces.

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.