This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations 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.

The contamination at this former fuel farm traces to bulk petroleum storage and distribution operations that were underway before 1986 — the last years in which occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were written without effective pollution exclusions in Washington. The documented remediation record here is substantial: tank removals, soil excavation, bioventing, years of dual-phase extraction recovering tens of thousands of pounds of hydrocarbons, and continuing monitoring and product bailing. With up to $250,000 in projected future DPE costs still ahead, historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the fuel farm's operational window may be obligated both to recover cleanup expenditures already incurred and to fund the remediation that remains.

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.