This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1952. 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.

Mining and milling operations at this site — and the tailings disposal activities that generated the contamination — ran continuously from 1952 through 1977, with post-closure activities persisting until 1986, the cutoff year for occurrence-based CGL policies that lacked effective pollution exclusions in Washington. The documented remediation expenditures here — tailings slope regrading, geomembrane liner installation, stormwater management infrastructure, and long-term groundwater monitoring — are directly attributable to releases tied to those decades of pre-1986 operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies to the mine's operators during that window may still bear an obligation to fund the costs of this cleanup.

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.