This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1922. 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 traces to underground storage tanks and product lines installed as early as 1922, with steel USTs and lines added in the mid-1960s — all decades before 1986, when occurrence-based CGL policies still carried no effective pollution exclusion. The documented remediation costs already incurred — tank removals, soil excavation, free-product recovery — and the substantial costs still ahead for pump-and-treat, air sparging, and vapor extraction represent expenditures that historical carriers who insured this station during its pre-1986 operating years may be obligated both to reimburse and to fund going forward.

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.