This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal going back to 1917. 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 — hydrocarbons and lead consistent with decades of leaded-gasoline distribution — originated from bulk fuel operations conducted entirely before 1986, spanning more than fifty years of commercial tenancy by three major petroleum companies. Occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies issued to Chevron, Shell, and Signal Oil during their respective operating windows had no effective pollution exclusion and remain enforceable today. The documented remediation costs — soil excavation, biological treatment, groundwater recovery and bioreactor processing, and long-term monitoring — represent expenditures that historical carriers for those operators may be obligated both to recover and to fund going forward.

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.