This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1964. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
This property operated as a Chevron retail gasoline service station from approximately 1964 until the station was decommissioned in 1998. Site infrastructure included two pump islands, three gasoline underground storage tanks, one diesel UST, one used oil UST, and two fuel oil USTs. Cleanup activities under the Voluntary Cleanup Program have included soil excavation, removal of the underground storage tanks during decommissioning, and an interim action, with multi-year groundwater monitoring and sampling ongoing from 1998 through at least 2011 and additional monitoring events scheduled. 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 and lead contamination at this site originated from underground storage tanks that were installed and operated for more than two decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were the industry standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion. The documented remediation expenditures — tank removals, soil excavation, interim action, and over a decade of groundwater monitoring still continuing — trace directly to releases from those pre-1986 operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the 1964-to-1986 operational window may be obligated both to recover past cleanup costs and to fund the remediation work that remains ahead.
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
Ready to learn more?
Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
