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 — 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.

As a Standard Oil bulk plant, this facility's petroleum storage and distribution operations almost certainly predate 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. More than three decades of documented groundwater monitoring, sampling, and treatment represent sustained remediation expenditures tied directly to contamination from those pre-1986 operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the facility's active years may be obligated both to recover past cleanup costs and to fund the ongoing monitoring and treatment program.

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.