This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1965. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
This property operated as the Shop Fast Texaco gas station from 1965 through 2002, with three 12,000-gallon single-wall steel underground storage tanks dispensing gasoline for retail sale. Leaking USTs were discovered in 2006 when gasoline was found in groundwater, and cleanup under the Voluntary Cleanup Program has included excavation and removal of all three tanks and contaminated soil, operation of passive in-well air sparging and dual-phase vacuum extraction systems, and extensive multi-year groundwater monitoring. Active remediation is ongoing, with plans for potential Oxygen Releasing Compound injection. 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 underground storage tanks installed and operated beginning in 1965 — more than two decades before occurrence-based CGL policies gave way to claims-made forms with absolute pollution exclusions. The documented remediation costs already incurred — tank removals, soil excavation, dual-phase extraction, air sparging, and years of groundwater monitoring — along with the cleanup work still ahead represent expenditures that historical carriers who wrote policies during the 1965–1986 operating window may be obligated both to reimburse and to fund going forward.
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.
