This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1936. 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.

Cascade Pole's wood treating operations ran for four uninterrupted decades — 1936 through 1976 — meaning every year of contamination-generating activity falls within the window when occurrence-based CGL policies were in force for this specific operator and this specific facility. The Superfund investigation confirming PCP and PAH contamination was already underway in August 1985, establishing that the release tied to those four decades of operations was a recognized pollution event before the modern exclusionary era began. Carriers who wrote CGL policies for Cascade Pole between the 1930s and mid-1970s may still be obligated to fund the DNAPL recovery and long-term remediation costs the site continues to require.

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.