This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1956. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
International Paper has owned and operated a wood treating facility at this Longview site since 1956, using creosote and pentachlorophenol in its preserving processes and generating RCRA K001 hazardous waste from wood preserving wastewater treatment. Remediation underway includes extensive soil excavation and disposal, non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) recovery, and construction of a barrier wall with an engineered cover. In-situ treatment — bioventing and air sparging — is operating alongside institutional controls and long-term groundwater monitoring, with cost estimates and financial assurance requirements still being finalized. 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.
Wood treating operations at this Longview facility began in 1956 and ran for three decades under occurrence-based CGL policies that predated effective pollution exclusions. The creosote and pentachlorophenol contamination now driving multi-phase remediation — NAPL recovery, barrier wall construction, in-situ treatment, and indefinite groundwater monitoring — traces directly to those pre-1986 operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies to International Paper during that operational window may carry exposure for costs already incurred and for the substantial 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.
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.
