This property has a documented history as a property with a heating oil tank 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 traces directly to a heating oil storage operation that was removed in 1985 — the threshold year before which occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies routinely carried no effective pollution exclusion. Documented remediation expenditures at the property — tank removal, soil excavation, long-term groundwater monitoring, and vapor intrusion work — reflect costs tied to that pre-1986 operational period. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies covering the AST's operation may remain obligated both to recover those past cleanup costs and to fund the additional remediation work still planned at the site.

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.