This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1973. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
This property has operated as a gasoline service station since at least 1973, when documented underground storage tank work was performed on the site; the current UST complex — three 20,000-gallon unleaded gasoline tanks and one diesel tank — was installed in January 1983, with leaded gasoline stored in one of those tanks through at least that era. A release was reported in 1991 attributed to former USTs, triggering investigations and remediation under the Voluntary Cleanup Program that have continued since. Cleanup work to date includes removal of a 1,000-gallon waste oil UST, excavation of 13 cubic yards of impacted soil, recovery of 1,000 gallons of water via multi-phase extraction, and installation of soil vapor extraction wells; further remedial excavation remains planned. The property currently operates as an active ConocoPhillips-branded convenience store and fuel dispensing facility. That history could support an insurance cost recovery claim against carriers who issued insurance policies 40+ years ago.
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 petroleum contamination at this site traces to underground storage tanks and associated piping that were in active use as early as 1973, more than a decade before occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies routinely incorporated effective pollution exclusions. Leaded gasoline storage and multi-decade fueling operations place the original contamination squarely within the pre-1986 CGL coverage window. The documented remediation expenditures — UST removal, soil excavation, groundwater extraction, vapor extraction system installation, and more than three decades of ongoing investigation and monitoring — represent costs that historical carriers who issued policies during that operational window may be obligated both to recover and to fund as remediation continues.
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.
What We Look For
- Historical insurance policies (pre-1986)
- Policy numbers, carrier names, and coverage periods
- Connection between contamination timing and policy period
- Evidence linking cleanup obligation to insured activity
What We Deliver
- Historical Coverage Chart
- Trigger Analysis & Property/Policy Nexus
- Coverage strategy with recommendations
- Insurance funding for your remediation
- Claims Management & Forensic Accounting
The Restorical Proven Process
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Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
