This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1960. 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 mercury contamination and associated industrial releases at this property originate from chlor-alkali manufacturing operations that were underway at least two decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies had no effective pollution exclusion. The documented remediation expenditures here — thousands of tons of excavated and chemically stabilized soil, over a million gallons of pumped and treated groundwater, and full demolition of the former Chlorine Plant — represent costs tied directly to those pre-1986 operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies to Georgia-Pacific or its predecessors during that operational window may be obligated both to recover those incurred cleanup costs and to fund the remediation work that remains ahead.

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.