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 fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
This property operated as the Unocal Bulk Plant No. 0016, a petroleum distribution facility that included a tank farm, a former diesel underground storage tank, and a former dispenser island. Cleanup under the Voluntary Cleanup Program has included a remedial excavation in 2001 to address petroleum-affected soil, ongoing groundwater monitoring with purging and treatment of purge water, and an Air Sparge/Soil Vapor Extraction system that became operational in 2006. Remediation at the site is ongoing. 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.
Petroleum bulk plant operations at this property involved large-volume fuel storage and distribution that predated 1986, as confirmed by the consistent detection of Total Lead in groundwater — a direct marker of leaded-gasoline handling phased out of commerce before that year. Occurrence-based CGL policies issued to operators during that pre-1986 window carried no effective pollution exclusion under Washington law and remain enforceable today. The documented remediation costs here — soil excavation, groundwater monitoring, purge water disposal, and a multi-year vapor extraction program — represent expenditures that historical carriers may be obligated both to recover 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.
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.
