This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal 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.

Refinery and bulk petroleum storage operations at this property predate 1986, with contamination already under remedial investigation by 1985 and the facility's aquifer designated by EPA as early as 1978 — the precise era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were issued without effective pollution exclusions. The scale of remediation here is substantial: thermal treatment of 67,000 cubic yards of soil, years of air sparging and bioventing, and nearly three decades of quarterly monitoring, all tied directly to releases from bulk storage tanks in operation before 1986. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies to the facility's operators and owners during that window may still be obligated to recover the costs already incurred.

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.