This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1947. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
This Port Angeles property has been in continuous commercial use since at least 1947, when a gasoline service station was constructed on the northern portion of the site along with other buildings. The station operated four underground storage tanks — two 1,000-gallon and two 500-gallon gasoline USTs — and associated fuel dispensers until December 1998, when all tanks and dispensers were decommissioned and removed. Cleanup work to date has included UST removal and contaminated soil excavation; the selected remedial alternative calls for a containment cap, sub-slab depressurization systems, an environmental covenant, and long-term monitoring and maintenance, with an estimated total cost of $120,000. That history could support an insurance cost recovery claim against carriers who issued insurance policies 40+ years ago.
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 hydrocarbon contamination at this site traces directly to underground storage tanks installed and operated beginning in 1947 — nearly four decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were the industry standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion. The documented remediation costs here — soil excavation, a containment cap, vapor-intrusion controls, and a long-term monitoring obligation under an environmental covenant — are tied to releases from those historical operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies to operators of this service station during its multi-decade run may be obligated to fund both the costs already incurred and those still to come.
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.
What We Look For
- Historical insurance policies (pre-1986)
- Policy numbers, carrier names, and coverage periods
- Connection between contamination timing and policy period
- Evidence linking cleanup obligation to insured activity
What We Deliver
- Historical Coverage Chart
- Trigger Analysis & Property/Policy Nexus
- Coverage strategy with recommendations
- Insurance funding for your remediation
- Claims Management & Forensic Accounting
The Restorical Proven Process
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Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
