This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station predating 1986. 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.

UST #6648 at this property is the type of single-wall steel tank system routinely installed at retail fuel stations before federal underground storage tank regulations took effect in the late 1980s, making it a likely candidate for a pre-1986 operational history. Ecology's formal placement of this site in the Standard Cleanup program establishes a documented remediation obligation — the kind of confirmed environmental liability that occurrence-based CGL policies issued during the tank's operational years were designed to cover. Property owners facing the remedial costs that Ecology has now required may have recourse against carriers whose policies were in force when gasoline first began migrating into the soil and groundwater at this location.

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.