This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1974. 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 diesel UST at this property was estimated to have been installed around 1974 based on its decommissioning date and standard tank lifecycle, placing its operational period squarely within the era of occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies that carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The contamination requiring remediation here traces directly to that pre-1986 fueling infrastructure. Cleanup costs the property now faces — including any further investigation, soil remediation, and monitoring — could plausibly be funded by historical carriers whose CGL policies were in effect during the years the tank was in active service.

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.