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.

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 at this right-of-way originates from service station and fuel-dispensing operations that ceased — in at least two cases — more than a decade before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were still standard and lacked effective pollution exclusions. The underground storage tanks removed in 1997 point to an installation era well before that threshold, and the documented release predates any modern pollution-exclusion language. Historical carriers whose CGL policies were in force during those pre-1986 operational years may bear liability for the investigation and remediation costs now accumulating at this site.

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.