This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1965. 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 releases at this site resulted from fourteen years of chlor-alkali plant discharges — 1965 through 1979 — carried out well before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies remained the industry standard and lacked an effective pollution exclusion in Washington. Georgia-Pacific has incurred documented remediation costs spanning RI/FS investigations, remedial action design, source-control implementation, and ongoing regulatory oversight, with feasibility-study cost estimates for cleanup alternatives still in development. Historical insurers who issued CGL coverage to G.P. during the years of active mercury discharge may retain obligations to contribute to both past and continuing cleanup expenditures.

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.