This property has a documented history as a public works and maintenance facility going back to 1960. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.
The US Army Reserve Facility in Pasco operated fuel pipeline infrastructure that sustained a breach in the 1960s, releasing an unknown quantity of petroleum hydrocarbons into the subsurface. Investigation included soil sampling to delineate the extent of contamination and installation of four groundwater monitoring wells. Groundwater was subsequently monitored for four consecutive quarters from 2004 through June 2007, with all results falling below established cleanup levels, resulting in a No Further Action determination under the Voluntary Cleanup Program. 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 here traces to a pipeline breach that occurred in the 1960s — more than two decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were the industry standard and lacked effective pollution exclusions in Washington. Military and government operations of that era routinely carried general liability coverage, and carriers who issued CGL policies to the Army Reserve or its contractors during the window when the breach occurred may still bear obligations tied to that historical release. The soil sampling, well installation, and multi-year groundwater monitoring program represent documented remediation expenditures directly attributable to that pre-1986 contamination event.
Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful cost recovery claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage for costs already incurred. Restorical's forensic accounting team works to re-establish and document past cleanup expenditures, ensuring the strongest possible basis for recovery.
Recovering Costs from an Older Cleanup
If this site reached No Further Action years ago, the original cleanup expenditures may be difficult to reconstruct. Restorical's forensic accounting team specializes in re-establishing and documenting past cleanup costs — even decades later — to build the strongest possible basis for an insurance recovery claim.
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.
