This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.
This property currently operates as a gas station and convenience store in Longview, Cowlitz County. A Phase II investigation documented soil contamination exceeding the MTCA Method A Cleanup Level for gasoline (100 mg/kg) and confirmed gasoline constituents — benzene, ethylbenzene, xylene, and lead — in groundwater. The presence of lead in the petroleum contamination indicates fuel dispensing operations dating to the era of leaded gasoline, well before its phase-out in the mid-1980s. No active cleanup or remediation work has commenced; the site is currently in the Standard Cleanup program awaiting a Site Hazard Assessment. 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 contamination at this property originated from underground storage tanks that dispensed leaded gasoline — a product effectively discontinued before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were still the industry standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion. The cleanup costs the property now faces — site assessment, investigation, and eventual remediation of gasoline-impacted soil and groundwater — could plausibly be funded by historical carriers whose CGL policies were in effect during the years leaded fuel was sold 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.
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.
