This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1965. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
This property has operated as a natural gas compressor station facility since the mid-1960s, constructed and operated by Northwest Pipeline Corporation — later Williams Northwest Pipeline, LLC — on an approximately 5.5-acre fenced enclosure in Snohomish County. Contamination from petroleum hydrocarbons, mercury, and other metals originated from compressor operations, underground storage tanks, and mercury-metering equipment documented in service since at least the late 1960s. Cleanup under the Voluntary Cleanup Program has included UST remediation, bioremediation of oil contamination, a major soil excavation in 2015 that removed 2,197 tons of contaminated material, and continuous groundwater monitoring ongoing since 2005. 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 petroleum hydrocarbons, mercury, and metals found at this compressor station are the product of industrial operations that commenced more than two decades before 1986, the year occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies ceased to reliably cover pollution claims. Northwest Pipeline Corporation's pre-1986 CGL carriers — covering a facility whose mercury meters alone had logged roughly two decades of continuous service by 1986 — issued policies with no effective pollution exclusion under Washington law. The documented remediation expenditures here, spanning UST removals, bioremediation, over 2,197 tons of excavated soil, and two-plus decades of groundwater monitoring, represent costs those historical carriers may be obligated both to recover and to fund going forward.
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.
