This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1956. 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.

The gasoline-range contamination at this site traces directly to underground storage tanks installed in 1956 and 1968 — both operated for decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were the industry standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion. Documented remediation expenditures span more than thirty years, from the 1993 tank removals and soil excavation through ongoing groundwater monitoring, bioremediation design work, and institutional controls that remain in progress. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies to this retail gasoline station's operators during that pre-1986 window may be obligated both to recover past cleanup costs and to fund the remediation that continues today.

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.