This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal predating 1986. 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 petroleum contamination at this former bulk fuel terminal — TPH-diesel and TPH-oil from decades of storage and distribution operations — is the type of slow, chronic release that occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies issued before 1986 were written to cover, before effective pollution exclusions became standard in the industry. Standard Oil and any successor operators would have carried commercial insurance during the decades the facility was active, and those pre-1986 policies remain enforceable today. With the site now on the Hazardous Sites List and remediation costs ahead, the historical carriers whose policies covered operations at this terminal could be obligated to fund the cleanup.

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.