This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1937. 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 petroleum contamination here originated from fuel dispensing and automotive repair operations active from 1937 through 1956 — three to five decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies still lacked an effective pollution exclusion. The documented remediation costs at this property — UST removals, excavation of nearly 1,700 tons of impacted soil, liquid recovery, and an ongoing institutional-control regime with monitoring obligations extending through at least 2026 — are tied directly to those pre-1986 operations. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies to the gas station or repair facility operators during that window may be obligated both to recover costs already incurred and to fund the continuing monitoring and inspection requirements.

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.