This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
This Tacoma facility has operated as a hazardous and dangerous waste handling, treatment, and storage operation — run by Stericycle Environmental Solutions, Inc. under a Dangerous Waste Permit — with documented light non-aqueous phase liquid (LNAPL) contamination whose presence Ecology characterizes as historic. Remediation began with installation of an LNAPL interceptor trench in 1999 and 2000 and submission of a Remedial Investigation Report in 2002; the site has remained under active corrective action under a permit running through 2022. In 2016 alone, activities included groundwater sampling and monitoring, recovery of approximately 400 milliliters of LNAPL, construction of a soil vapor barrier and soil gas venting system under a new Lab Pack Building, and abandonment of two monitoring wells. 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 LNAPL contamination here has been characterized as historic, reflecting a release timeline that traces well before 1986 — the point after which occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies began routinely including effective pollution exclusions. Costs already incurred — interceptor trench construction, years of LNAPL recovery, groundwater sampling, vapor barrier installation, and well abandonments — represent accumulated expenditures that historical CGL carriers may be obligated to cover. Because corrective action at this facility is ongoing, with long-term groundwater monitoring and continued LNAPL management still active, recovered insurance proceeds can fund not only those past cleanup costs but 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.
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.
