This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1969. 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 at this property originated from shipbuilding and surface-treatment operations that began in 1969 — more than fifteen years before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were standard and contained no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The remediation expenditures documented here — shoreline and upland excavation, industrial wastewater treatment infrastructure, multi-year monitoring, natural resource damages, and regulatory oversight — represent the kind of compounding environmental liability that pre-1986 CGL carriers may still be obligated to fund. Historical insurers who issued policies to Tacoma Boatbuilding during that operational window remain potentially accessible for both past costs and continuing O&M obligations.

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.