This property has a documented history as a facility using PFAS-containing firefighting foam predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.

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.

Naval operations at this property trace to well before 1986 — with documented activity extending to World War II and earlier — meaning the AFFF-driven PFAS releases here are linked to an era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion. The contamination profile — PFAS compounds migrating from firefighting training areas and suppression systems — represents the kind of slow, cumulative release these historical policies were written to cover. The remediation costs that responsible parties now face, including AFFF removal, soil and groundwater investigation and cleanup, and potential long-term drinking water mitigation, may be recoverable from carriers whose policies were in force during the decades of pre-1986 operations.

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.