This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.

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 underground storage tanks at this site were installed and operated decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies routinely covered pollution liability without the effective exclusions introduced in later policy forms. The petroleum contamination now documented in soil and groundwater here traces directly to those pre-1986 fueling operations. As this site moves from investigation toward a remediation plan, the cost of that future cleanup — soil treatment, groundwater remediation, and long-term monitoring — could plausibly be funded by historical carriers whose policies were in force when the tanks were first put into the ground.

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.