This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1974. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
This property operated as the Hunsaker Oil Company service station in downtown Bingen, with three 6,000-gallon underground storage tanks installed in 1974 and in use until 1998. Cleanup activities have included the removal of four USTs totaling 21,000 gallons of capacity and excavation of 72.21 tons of petroleum-contaminated soil in 2000, followed by installation of three groundwater monitoring wells in 2002 and ongoing quarterly groundwater sampling. Soil and groundwater testing identified weathered gasoline, BTEX compounds, and detectable levels of total lead — an indicator of leaded gasoline usage — beneath the former tank locations. That history could support an insurance cost recovery claim against carriers who issued insurance policies 40+ years ago.
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 underground storage tanks installed in 1974 and operated continuously through the period when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The release has been characterized as "quite old" and the presence of lead in subsurface samples confirms leaded gasoline handling during the pre-1986 policy window. Documented remediation expenditures — tank removal, soil excavation, well installation, and years of groundwater monitoring — represent costs the historical carriers may be obligated both to reimburse and to fund as quarterly monitoring continues.
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.
What We Look For
- Historical insurance policies (pre-1986)
- Policy numbers, carrier names, and coverage periods
- Connection between contamination timing and policy period
- Evidence linking cleanup obligation to insured activity
What We Deliver
- Historical Coverage Chart
- Trigger Analysis & Property/Policy Nexus
- Coverage strategy with recommendations
- Insurance funding for your remediation
- Claims Management & Forensic Accounting
The Restorical Proven Process
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Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
