This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal 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.

Petroleum contamination at this site originated from bulk fuel loading racks and underground storage tanks that Texaco and, later, Vancouver Oil Company operated across more than 25 years of pre-1986 activity — two distinct corporate entities, each carrying its own insurance program during that window. The contamination is explicitly attributed in regulatory documents to those historic service station and bulk fuel operations, not any later event. The $797,544 estimated remediation cost, still accruing through ongoing monitoring and a multi-year cleanup, represents exactly the type of liability that historical carriers for either operator may be obligated to fund.

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.