This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal going back to 1924. 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.

Petroleum contamination at this property originated from bulk fuel storage and dispensing operations that were in place decades before 1986, with documented evidence on Sanborn maps as early as 1924 and aerial photographs confirming above-ground storage tanks in 1969. Occurrence-based CGL policies issued to the operators during that long pre-1986 window carried no effective pollution exclusion under Washington law. More than three decades of remediation expenditures — tank removals, soil excavation, free-product recovery, bioremediation, and ongoing monitoring — represent costs the historical carriers may be obligated both to reimburse and to continue funding as cleanup proceeds.

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.