This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal going back to 1929. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
This property on the southwest shoreline of Gig Harbor operated as a bulk fuel plant owned and run by Unocal Corporation from 1929 through 1985, when fuel storage ceased and the site was sold. Cleanup work has included the removal of a 6,000-gallon underground storage tank in early 1989 and the excavation of approximately 800 cubic yards of petroleum-contaminated soil, which was hauled off-site for treatment. Groundwater contamination was expected to attenuate naturally, but a recommended multi-year monitoring program was never implemented, and the site later required a formal Site Hazard Assessment. Cleanup remains in progress under the Standard Cleanup program. 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.
Bulk fuel storage at this site began in 1929 and continued for more than five decades before 1986 — the full span of the occurrence-based CGL era in which pollution exclusions were not yet standard. The petroleum contamination that triggered tank removal, large-scale soil excavation, and ongoing groundwater concerns traces directly to those decades of fuel handling under Unocal's operation. Historical carriers who wrote CGL policies covering this site during that 57-year window may be obligated both to recover the remediation costs already incurred and to fund the cleanup 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
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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.
