This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal going back to 1930. 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 documented at this property — lead in groundwater linked to bulk fuel operations using leaded gasoline — originated from decades of activity that predates 1986 by more than fifty years. Standard Oil's occupancy from 1930 through 1983 places the entire operational window squarely within the era of occurrence-based CGL policies that carried no effective pollution exclusion. The documented remediation expenditures spanning more than thirty years of investigation and cleanup represent costs that historical carriers who issued policies during that long operational tenure may still be obligated to 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.