This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property 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.

Rail operations at this Vancouver yard predate 1986 by decades, and documented spill incidents in 1983 and 1984 confirm that contamination events occurred squarely within the window when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies — carrying no effective pollution exclusion — were the industry standard in Washington. The accumulated remediation expenditures at this site — soil excavation, thermal treatment, long-term wastewater treatment, groundwater and surface water management — are directly traceable to those pre-1986 industrial operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies during that operational window may be obligated both to recover documented cleanup costs and to fund the 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.