This property has a documented history as a property with a heating oil tank predating 1986. 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 underground storage tanks at Building 6031 were in active service through the late 1990s, and tanks of that type installed on military installations typically predate 1986 by a decade or more — placing their operational years squarely within the era of occurrence-based CGL policies that carried no effective pollution exclusion. Heating oil and waste oil releases from USTs of this vintage are precisely the contamination scenario those pre-1986 policies were written to address. Historical carriers who issued CGL coverage during the years those tanks were in service may bear obligations for the ongoing remediation costs at this site.

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.