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 — 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 seven tanks here were unregulated under federal UST rules, which were not established until 1986 — placing their installation and operation squarely in the era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. The petroleum contamination now requiring multi-phase soil excavation and continued remediation traces directly to those pre-regulation operations. Historical carriers whose CGL policies covered this facility during that window may bear both the obligation to recover documented remediation expenditures already incurred and to fund the cleanup work that remains 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.