This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal going back to 1934. 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 site originated from nearly five decades of bulk fuel storage and distribution operations that began in 1934 — more than half a century before occurrence-based CGL policies ceased reliably covering pollution claims in 1986. The documented remediation expenditures — tank removals, repeated soil excavations, landfarming treatment, and groundwater monitoring — represent costs tied directly to releases from those pre-1986 operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies to the facility's operators during that long operational window may be obligated both to recover past cleanup costs and to fund remediation still under way.

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.