This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.
Time Oil Co. operated a small petroleum bulk plant at this Tacoma property from at least before 1977, storing and distributing stove oil and heating oil (diesel fuel #2) through a 12,000-gallon stove oil underground storage tank, a 20,000-gallon heating oil UST, and a top loading rack. Remediation under the Standard Cleanup program included excavation and thermal treatment of 1,700 cubic yards of petroleum-contaminated soil, removal of the underground storage tanks, and pumping of 10,000 gallons of water during excavation. A groundwater pump-and-treat system then operated for 36 months, treating over 2 million gallons, alongside a vapor extraction system and extensive multi-year groundwater monitoring, with the site ultimately concluding remediation through well abandonment and system decommissioning. The site has received a No Further Action determination. 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.
The petroleum releases at this bulk plant originated from underground storage tanks in continuous operation well before 1986, the year occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies began incorporating effective pollution exclusions. The scale of documented remediation — thermal treatment of nearly 1,700 cubic yards of impacted soil, over 2 million gallons of groundwater treated, vapor extraction, UST removals, and years of monitoring — reflects expenditures tied directly to those pre-1986 bulk storage operations. Historical CGL carriers who issued policies to Time Oil Co. during that operational window may still be obligated to recover the costs associated with bringing this site to closure.
Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful cost recovery claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage for costs already incurred. Restorical's forensic accounting team works to re-establish and document past cleanup expenditures, ensuring the strongest possible basis for recovery.
Recovering Costs from an Older Cleanup
If this site reached No Further Action years ago, the original cleanup expenditures may be difficult to reconstruct. Restorical's forensic accounting team specializes in re-establishing and documenting past cleanup costs — even decades later — to build the strongest possible basis for an insurance recovery claim.
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.
