This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station predating 1986. 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.

The elevated lead detected in soil at UST1 is a recognized signature of leaded-gasoline operations — a fuel type phased out nationwide by the mid-1980s — placing the contamination origin firmly in the era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The documented work at this site — tank and piping removal, soil excavation, and continuing cleanup obligations — represents costs tied directly to those pre-1986 fueling operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies to the station operator during that window may remain obligated both to recover past remediation expenditures and to fund the cleanup work still ahead.

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.