This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal going back to 1930. 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.

Fletcher Oil's tetraethyl lead blending and United Independent Oil's crude oil topping operations were both active during the late 1970s and early 1980s — the same period when petroleum and lead spills were documented on site between 1979 and 1983 and when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were still the industry standard for bulk fuel and petrochemical operators. The carriers who issued CGL coverage to those named operators during that documented spill window wrote policies that carried no effective pollution exclusion. The remediation costs accruing here since 1979 — soil excavation, groundwater treatment, sediment cleanup, and decades of monitoring — represent expenditures those historical carriers may be obligated to fund or recover.

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.