This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility 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.

The petroleum contamination at this site originated from underground storage tanks that were operational well before their 1993 removal — placing the releases squarely in the era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. The multi-year remediation record — tank removals, soil excavation, site investigations, and continued cleanup under the Voluntary Cleanup Program — represents documented costs tied directly to those pre-1986 operations. Historical carriers who provided CGL coverage to the railroad during the tanks' operational life may be obligated both to recover past remediation expenditures and to fund the cleanup work that remains ahead.

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.