This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.
This property served as a Coca-Cola Enterprises beverage production and distribution facility in Bremerton, with underground and aboveground storage tanks holding diesel and lube oil to support industrial operations and an associated vehicle fleet. A Preliminary Underground Storage Tank Assessment in 1991 identified diesel-range and oil-range petroleum hydrocarbon contamination in soil from the former USTs. Cleanup activities under the Voluntary Cleanup Program — including soil disposal and tank removals — spanned from 1991 through 2006, culminating in a No Further Action determination. 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 facility originated from underground storage tanks that were already designated as "former" when assessed in 1991, indicating they were installed and operating during the era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. More than fifteen years of documented remediation — tank removals, soil excavation, and soil disposal — were required to reach closure. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies to Coca-Cola Enterprises or prior operators during the pre-1986 window may still be obligated to recover those cleanup costs.
Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful cost recovery claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage for costs already incurred. Restorical's forensic accounting team works to re-establish and document past cleanup expenditures, ensuring the strongest possible basis for recovery.
Recovering Costs from an Older Cleanup
If this site reached No Further Action years ago, the original cleanup expenditures may be difficult to reconstruct. Restorical's forensic accounting team specializes in re-establishing and documenting past cleanup costs — even decades later — to build the strongest possible basis for an insurance recovery claim.
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.
