This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal going back to 1957. 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 terminal traces to underground storage operations that began in 1957 — nearly three decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were still the industry standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion. The documented remediation expenditures here — UST removal, soil excavation, and years of groundwater monitoring — are directly attributable to bulk petroleum handling during that pre-1986 operational window. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies to the terminal's operators during those decades may remain obligated to fund the costs of ongoing natural attenuation monitoring and any future remediation required to close the site.

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.