This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1936. 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.

Contamination at this property — petroleum hydrocarbons, PCBs, metals, and pesticides including DDT and Aldrin/Dieldrin — originated from industrial disposal operations that aerial records place as far back as 1936, decades before 1986. PCBs, DDT, and Aldrin/Dieldrin were all banned or restricted between the early 1970s and mid-1980s, and their presence in soils from the former disposal pond ties the contamination conclusively to the pre-1986 operational window when occurrence-based CGL policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. The documented remediation costs at Terminal 117 — sediment and soil excavation, engineered caps, groundwater treatment, and ongoing monitoring — represent expenditures that historical carriers whose policies covered this industrial operation may be obligated both to reimburse and to fund as remediation 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.