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 contamination here originates from a dual-UST truck service operation — simultaneous gasoline and diesel dispensing combined with on-site used oil and filter disposal — that was established well before 1986 based on estimated UST installation dates in the late 1960s. That combination created multiple concurrent contamination pathways: releases across two fuel grades and improper used oil disposal at a discrete area of the property, each independently traceable to pre-1986 operations. The documented remediation costs — removal of two tanks, excavation of hundreds of tons of impacted soil, and ongoing groundwater monitoring — represent expenditures tied directly to that operational footprint, and historical carriers whose policies covered Tandom Service Eagle Truck during that window may be obligated to fund their recovery.

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.