This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1957. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.

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.

Chemical manufacturing operations at this site began in 1957 and generated nearly three decades of documented on-site waste disposal — incineration, landfarming of liquid waste and metals, and an accidental spill recorded in 1978 — all occurring before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies remained the industry standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion. The remediation record here, spanning multiple distinct phases from 1957 through at least 1985, represents expenditures tied directly to industrial releases from that pre-1986 operating window. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies to Phillips Pacific Chemical Co. during those decades of active manufacturing may still be obligated to recover those cleanup costs.

Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful cost recovery claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage for costs already incurred. Restorical's forensic accounting team works to re-establish and document past cleanup expenditures, ensuring the strongest possible basis for recovery.