This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1980. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
This property was developed by 1980 as a first-generation gasoline service station with three 8,000-gallon underground storage tanks, service bays, and two dispenser islands. Contamination was first reported in 1990 during removal of the original USTs, triggering cleanup activities under the Voluntary Cleanup Program that have continued for over three decades — including excavation of 1,100 cubic yards of contaminated soil, removal of multiple USTs and associated infrastructure, a pump-and-treat system that processed approximately 254,256 gallons of groundwater between 1993 and 2001, a concurrent soil vapor extraction system, treatment of residual soil with oxygen-release compounds, and implementation of institutional controls. The facility is currently operating as a Jacksons fuel station with ongoing groundwater monitoring. 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.
Petroleum contamination at this site originated from first-generation underground storage tanks — including tanks that held leaded gasoline — installed and operated years before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. More than three decades of documented remediation expenditures, from large-scale soil excavation and UST removal to years of pump-and-treat operations and long-term monitoring, represent costs that historical carriers who issued CGL policies during that pre-1986 operational window may be obligated both to recover and to fund as cleanup work continues.
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.
