This property has a documented history as a public works and maintenance facility 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 USTs at this WSDOT fleet-fueling facility were in active use well before 1986, meaning the petroleum release that triggered excavation and landfarming originated when the CGL policies covering this facility's operations carried no effective pollution exclusion. Historical carriers whose policies were in force during that pre-1986 operational window bear exposure both for the remediation costs already incurred — tank removals, soil excavation, and two landfarming campaigns — and for the cleanup expenditures still ahead as the Standard Cleanup program works toward closure.

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.