This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1967. 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.

Petroleum contamination at this site originated from underground storage tanks that were in operation from the early 1970s through 1991 — more than a decade before occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies gave way to claims-made forms with absolute pollution exclusions. The remediation expenditures documented here — tank removal, large-scale soil excavation, years of pump-and-treat operations, vapor extraction, and ongoing monitoring — represent costs directly traceable to those pre-1986 fuel-dispensing operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies to Time Oil Co. during the period those tanks were leaking may still be obligated to recover past cleanup costs and fund the monitoring that continues today.

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.