This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1954. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.

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.

Fueling operations at this property began in 1954 — more than three decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were the industry standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion. The TPH and BTEX contamination confirmed here traces directly to those long-running pre-1986 operations rather than any isolated recent event. With investigation complete and active remediation still ahead, the cleanup costs this property now faces may be recoverable from — or funded by — historical carriers whose CGL policies were in force during the decades of fueling operations prior to 1986.

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.