This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations 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 contamination at this property — petroleum gasoline, diesel-range hydrocarbons, BTEX, MTBE, PAHs, and lead — is consistent with cumulative releases from underground storage tanks and fuel dispensing operations that predate 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were the industry standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. With active remediation still ahead, those historical policies issued during the operational window of this service station remain a plausible source of recovery. The costs of investigation, remediation design, and cleanup that now face this property could be funded by carriers whose policies were in force when the contamination first occurred.

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.