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 — 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.

The petroleum contamination at this site originated from underground storage tanks whose operation and documented leakage trace to well before 1986 — the year after which occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies began routinely excluding pollution claims. The remediation record here is substantial: UST and dispenser island removals, chemical oxidation treatment, vapor extraction infrastructure, and more than three decades of groundwater monitoring, all expenditures tied directly to pre-1986 fueling operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies to Exxon or its station operators during that window may be obligated to recover those past costs and to fund the remediation work that continues today.

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.