This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1971. 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 originated from faulty product piping and historical underground storage tanks — some reportedly installed prior to 1929 — that were in service well before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies still carried no effective pollution exclusion. More than three decades of documented remediation expenditures — tank removals, large-scale soil excavation, two generations of vapor-extraction systems, and continuous groundwater monitoring — represent costs that historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the pre-1986 operational window may be obligated both to reimburse and to fund as cleanup continues under the Voluntary Cleanup Program.

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.