This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal going back to 1970. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.

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 jet fuel contamination at this site originated from fuel infrastructure built and placed into service in the 1970s — more than a decade before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies still provided broad pollution coverage without effective exclusions. Releases from aging fuel lines, valves, and gaskets are precisely the type of slow, progressive contamination those pre-1986 policies were written to address. The remediation costs now facing this site — investigation-derived waste disposal, site repair, MTCA-mandated remedial action, and inspection of additional vault structures — could plausibly be funded by historical carriers whose policies were in force during the decades of operation prior to 1986.

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.