This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal going back to 1912. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
Chevron (formerly Chevron USA) operated a bulk fuel terminal at this waterfront property from 1912 until approximately 1983, storing gasoline, kerosene, diesel, lube oils, and Bunker C fuel oil across ten aboveground storage tanks, with associated pump house, loading racks, a warehouse, and a pier. Cleanup activities under the Voluntary Cleanup Program have included removal of 935 cubic yards of contaminated soil, underground storage tanks, product piping, aboveground structures, and the pier, along with recovery of 1,500 gallons of non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) from groundwater, an ozone injection pilot study, and installation of containment measures including a geomembrane liner and sheet piling. Long-term monitoring and phased cleanup actions are ongoing. 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.
The petroleum contamination at this site — including free-phase NAPL in groundwater — traces directly to bulk fuel terminal operations spanning more than seven decades before 1986, with a documented black oil release recorded as early as the 1940s. Occurrence-based CGL policies issued to Chevron during that extended pre-1986 operational window had no effective pollution exclusion and remain enforceable today. The documented remediation costs here — soil excavation, tank and pier removal, NAPL recovery, ozone injection, engineered containment, and long-term monitoring — represent expenditures that historical carriers may be obligated both to recover and to fund going forward.
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.
