This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal going back to 1970. 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.

Fuel oil storage and distribution operations at this Port Dock site were underway by at least the early 1970s — well before 1986, when occurrence-based CGL policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. The $3,000 spent in October 2019 on separator removal and waste treatment represents documented past remediation expenditures that historical carriers may be obligated to recover. With confirmed soil contamination and suspected groundwater impact still unaddressed, the site-wide cleanup ahead will generate additional costs that pre-1986 policies issued to operators during those earlier decades may be required to fund.

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.