This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1940. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
This property has operated as a gasoline service station since 1940, with multiple underground storage tanks and fueling islands serving as the source of petroleum contamination reported in 1990. Cleanup under the Voluntary Cleanup Program included soil vapor extraction and groundwater pump-and-treat systems from 1992 to 1995 — removing 1,819 pounds of total petroleum hydrocarbons and treating 484,520 gallons of groundwater — followed by excavation of 3,538 tons of petroleum-impacted soil and removal of USTs and dispenser islands between 1995 and 1997. Long-term groundwater monitoring ran from 1999 through 2013, and remedial action continues under a PTAP Agreement executed in 2019 after the site was terminated from the VCP in 2014. The property remains an active gasoline service station with a convenience store. 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.
Petroleum contamination at this site originated from underground storage tanks installed and operated as far back as 1940 — more than four decades before occurrence-based CGL policies gave way to claims-made forms with absolute pollution exclusions. The documented remediation expenditures spanning three decades — vapor extraction, pump-and-treat operations, massive soil excavation, and ongoing groundwater monitoring — represent costs tied directly to releases from those pre-1986 operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies during that 45-year operational window may be obligated both to recover past cleanup costs and to fund the remedial work that continues today under the PTAP Agreement.
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.
