This property has a documented history as a public works and maintenance facility predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.
The Armory Square property in Port Angeles was operated by the City of Port Angeles, which maintained a 500-gallon unregulated gasoline tank buried beneath a sidewalk in front of the building. Soil and groundwater samples collected during tank removal detected lead, indicating the tank stored leaded gasoline — a fuel phased out before 1986 — which places the tank's active use well before modern UST regulations took effect. Decommissioning work removed the tank and approximately 15.19 tons of contaminated soil, and prior cleanup actions were conducted between 2000 and 2001; the site nonetheless remains in the Awaiting Cleanup phase. That history could support an insurance cost recovery claim against carriers who issued insurance policies 40+ years ago.
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 city-operated armory facility — petroleum hydrocarbons and lead — originated from a tank described as having pin holes, the kind of slow historical release that occurrence-based CGL policies issued before 1986 were written to cover, before effective pollution exclusions became standard. Because the tank stored leaded gasoline, its operational period is firmly anchored before 1986, the window during which those policies were in force. As the City of Port Angeles faces the investigation, remediation design, and active cleanup costs still ahead, historical carriers who issued policies during the tank's operational years may be obligated to fund those expenditures.
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.
What We Look For
- Historical insurance policies (pre-1986)
- Policy numbers, carrier names, and coverage periods
- Connection between contamination timing and policy period
- Evidence linking cleanup obligation to insured activity
What We Deliver
- Historical Coverage Chart
- Trigger Analysis & Property/Policy Nexus
- Coverage strategy with recommendations
- Insurance funding for your remediation
- Claims Management & Forensic Accounting
The Restorical Proven Process
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Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
