This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility predating 1986. 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 contamination at this site — chromic acid, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, and related industrial chemicals discharged to an unlined impoundment — is characteristic of manufacturing operations that predated the environmental regulations tightened around 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were still the industry norm and carried no effective pollution exclusion. Carriers who issued CGL policies to Certified Aerospace or the Port of Shelton during those pre-1986 operating years remain potentially liable under those policies. The Agreed Order obligations — hazardous waste disposal, sediment and soil remediation, and long-term compliance — represent both past expenditures and continuing cleanup costs that historical carriers may be obligated to recover and fund.

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.