This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1966. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.
The Boeing Commercial Airplanes Fabrication Division Auburn Plant has operated at this site since 1966, conducting large-scale metal fabrication and finishing operations that included vapor degreasers, machine sumps, wet paint spray booths, and chemical handling involving acids and cyanides. Boeing notified the EPA of dangerous waste activities in 1980 and submitted a RCRA permit application that same year; remediation documents dating to 1986 capture early sump removal and contamination assessment work. Cleanup activities have included excavation and removal of numerous sumps, vapor degreasers, underground storage tanks, and contaminated soil, alongside construction of a stormwater treatment facility and ongoing groundwater interim actions under a 10-year corrective action permit. 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 industrial operations that generated contamination at this property began in 1966 — two decades before occurrence-based CGL policies adopted effective pollution exclusions in Washington State. Vapor degreasing, chemical handling, and metal-finishing waste management of the type documented here were among the most common sources of coverage disputes under pre-1986 policies. The documented scope of remediation — multiple sump and tank removals, large-scale soil excavation, a stormwater treatment system, and years of groundwater monitoring and corrective action — represents accumulated expenditures that historical carriers whose policies covered Boeing's pre-1986 Auburn operations may be obligated to recover.
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.
