This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1938. 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 petroleum contamination documented at this site traces directly to nearly four decades of underground storage tank operations that concluded before 1977 — well before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were still the industry standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The scope of documented remediation here — close to 2,900 tons of excavated soil and years of groundwater monitoring — reflects the cleanup burden left by those pre-1986 operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies to the operators during the station's 1938–1977 run may still be obligated to fund ongoing cleanup costs and to recover expenditures already incurred.

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.