This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1923. 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 lumber mill's operations spanned more than six decades before 1986, the era in which occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The gasoline UST removed in 1993 was installed and in active use well within that pre-1986 operational window, making any petroleum contamination at this property directly traceable to operations the historical carriers were insuring at the time. With the site designated as Awaiting Cleanup, those decades of CGL policies represent a plausible source of funding for the remediation work that lies 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.