This property has a documented history as a landfill predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.

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 waste disposal operations at Renton Junction Landfill predated 1986, the year occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies ceased to provide reliable pollution coverage in Washington. Methane migration and leachate generation — the contamination pathways confirmed here — represent the kind of slow, continuous releases that pre-1986 CGL policies were written to address, at a time when no effective pollution exclusion was in place. As the site moves toward active remediation, the costs of leachate containment and landfill gas control could plausibly be funded by historical carriers whose policies were in force during the landfill's operational years.

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.