This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1965. 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.

Contamination at this site — petroleum hydrocarbons from ink oil spills and residual ink pigments — originated from manufacturing operations that began more than two decades before 1986, when occurrence-based CGL policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. Ecology first identified contamination in a March 1990 report, and the remediation record since then — 21 tank removals, extensive soil excavation and offsite disposal, long-term groundwater monitoring — represents substantial documented expenditures tied directly to those pre-1986 operations. Historical carriers who issued policies during the 1965–1985 operational window may be obligated both to recover past cleanup costs and to fund the remaining remediation work.

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.