This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1968. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations 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.

The underground storage tanks at Cascade Loggers Supply were likely installed around 1968 based on their removal date, and the facility's presence on a 1985 USGS map confirms it was operating throughout the period when occurrence-based CGL policies carried no effective pollution exclusion under Washington law. The diesel, oil, and gasoline contamination found in soil and groundwater traces directly to those decades of pre-1986 tank operations. More than 25 years of documented remediation costs — UST removal, excavation, long-term monitoring, institutional controls, and planned biological treatment — represent expenditures that historical carriers who covered this facility during the contamination window may be obligated both to recover and to fund going forward.

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.