This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal going back to 1920. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property 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.

Petroleum contamination at this site traces to bulk fuel storage and distribution operations that began more than six decades before 1986 — including aviation gasoline no longer in use since the late 1960s and historical handling of leaded gasoline. Occurrence-based CGL policies issued to the facility's successive owners and operators during that pre-1986 window carried no effective pollution exclusion under Washington law. The documented remediation expenditures — repeated soil excavations, tank removals, chemical oxidation, free product recovery, and long-term groundwater monitoring — represent costs the historical carriers may be obligated both to reimburse and to fund as cleanup continues.

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.