This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal going back to 1924. 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.

Bulk fuel distribution at this property began in 1924 and continued for more than five decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies still carried no effective pollution exclusion. The gasoline-range and diesel-range hydrocarbon and lead contamination documented here traces directly to those pre-1986 Union Oil operations, with no evidence of a discrete recent release as an intervening cause. Remediation costs — bioremediation, long-term quarterly monitoring, and ongoing waste disposal — continue to accrue under a Department of Ecology requirement, and the historical carriers whose CGL policies were in force during the Union Oil operating period may be obligated both to recover past expenditures and to fund the cleanup work still 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.