This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1930. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
This property has operated as a retail gasoline station since the 1930s, originally as the Naches Chevron and later as a Circle K Store. In 1992, twelve cubic yards of petroleum-contaminated soil were excavated, and in 1994 three underground storage tanks totaling 25,000 gallons of capacity — including at least one that had stored leaded gasoline — were removed and replaced, with an additional 350 cubic yards of soil excavated during the tank pull. Remediation under the Voluntary Cleanup Program has continued with the installation of eleven air sparge wells and multiple rounds of soil vapor extraction and groundwater air sparging between 2016 and 2019. 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 releases at this site trace back to underground storage tanks that were in service for decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The documented remediation costs — soil excavation, tank replacement, air sparging infrastructure, and years of active treatment — represent expenditures tied directly to those pre-1986 operations. Historical carriers who covered this station during that long operational window may be obligated both to reimburse past cleanup costs and to fund the remediation work that remains ahead.
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.
