This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal going back to 1931. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.
This waterfront property encompassed two petroleum bulk storage facilities: the Texaco Bulk Storage Facility, which operated from 1945 to 1965 and stored kerosene and two grades of gasoline, and the Olympia Oil and Wood Storage Facility, which operated from 1931 to 1972 and stored diesel fuel and numbers 5 and 6 oil. Oily substances were discovered during construction excavations at the site, prompting the sealing and gasketing of catch basins and pipes; contamination is assumed to have originated from those former bulk storage operations on the peninsula. Active remediation has not yet commenced, and the site remains under the Standard Cleanup program. 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.
Both bulk storage operations at this property were active decades before 1986, and petroleum products — gasoline, kerosene, diesel, and heavy fuel oil — were stored and distributed here throughout that entire pre-1986 window. Occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies issued to operators during those years carried no effective pollution exclusion and remain enforceable today. The investigation and cleanup costs the current property owner now faces could plausibly be funded by historical carriers whose policies were in force while these facilities were actively storing and dispensing fuel.
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.
