This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property 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.

The petroleum contamination at this property originated from underground storage tanks and former pump dispensers that predate 1986, the year occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies ceased reliably covering pollution claims in Washington. Nearly two decades of documented remediation expenditures — soil excavation, thermal treatment, subsurface investigation, monitoring well installation, and groundwater treatment — trace directly to releases from those pre-1986 fueling operations. With a new cleanup phase launched in 2017, historical carriers who issued CGL policies during the facility's early operational years may be obligated both to recover past remediation costs and to fund the ongoing work.

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.