This property has a documented history as a public works and maintenance facility going back to 1942. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.
Building 2045 at Fairchild Air Force Base has served as an airplane hangar since the base was established in 1942, with an oil-water separator (OW-056) connected to its hangar wash rack collecting chemical waste from aircraft maintenance operations. In 1995, cleanup under the Voluntary Cleanup Program included removal of that oil-water separator and 95 tons of petroleum-contaminated soil, followed by excavation of an additional 249 tons of contaminated soil during a replacement OWS installation. A 2015 follow-up investigation advanced and decommissioned three soil borings, collected soil and groundwater samples, and treated 100 gallons of water at a groundwater treatment plant. The site has since received a No Further Action determination. 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.
Petroleum contamination at this property originated from an oil-water separator and wash rack that were in continuous operation for decades before 1986 — the year occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies began incorporating effective pollution exclusions. The documented remediation here spans two separate response actions: removal of nearly 350 tons of petroleum-impacted soil in 1995 and a groundwater investigation in 2015, both tied directly to releases from pre-1986 hangar maintenance activities. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies to operators at this facility during its long pre-1986 service window may still be obligated to recover those documented remediation costs.
Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful cost recovery claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage for costs already incurred. Restorical's forensic accounting team works to re-establish and document past cleanup expenditures, ensuring the strongest possible basis for recovery.
Recovering Costs from an Older Cleanup
If this site reached No Further Action years ago, the original cleanup expenditures may be difficult to reconstruct. Restorical's forensic accounting team specializes in re-establishing and documenting past cleanup costs — even decades later — to build the strongest possible basis for an insurance recovery claim.
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.
