This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal going back to 1950. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.
This property has operated as an aircraft storage, maintenance, and refueling facility since the 1950s, with two 10,000-gallon aboveground storage tanks supplying Jet A fuel for onsite aircraft refueling and a former aboveground tank that held low-lead aviation gasoline. Cleanup under the Voluntary Cleanup Program included removal of a 500-gallon heating oil underground storage tank, excavation of 20 cubic yards of petroleum-contaminated soil hauled to a remediation facility, and removal of an additional 3 cubic yards of soil impacted by an aboveground tank leak. Multi-year groundwater monitoring confirmed that contaminant concentrations fell below cleanup levels, and the site has received a No Further Action determination. 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.
Bulk petroleum storage and dispensing operations at this facility date to the 1950s — more than three decades before occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies began excluding pollution claims. The documented remediation costs — tank removal, soil excavation, offsite disposal, and years of groundwater monitoring — arose from releases tied directly to those pre-1986 fueling operations. Historical carriers who wrote CGL policies covering this facility during that era may still be obligated to reimburse the cleanup expenditures the property owner has already incurred.
Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful cost recovery claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage for costs already incurred. Restorical's forensic accounting team works to re-establish and document past cleanup expenditures, ensuring the strongest possible basis for recovery.
Recovering Costs from an Older Cleanup
If this site reached No Further Action years ago, the original cleanup expenditures may be difficult to reconstruct. Restorical's forensic accounting team specializes in re-establishing and documenting past cleanup costs — even decades later — to build the strongest possible basis for an insurance recovery claim.
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.
