This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1985. 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 petroleum contamination at this site — diesel, fuel oil, Bunker C, and gasoline — originated from underground storage tanks that were installed and operating before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. Decades of documented remediation expenditures — tank removals, large-scale soil excavation, fuel recovery, and long-term groundwater monitoring — were incurred to address releases tied directly to those pre-1986 operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies during that window may be obligated both to recover costs already spent and to fund the cleanup work that remains.

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.