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.

Benzene and gasoline range hydrocarbons are the signature of underground storage tank releases tied to gas station operations — contamination that accumulates over years, not from a single incident, and that is characteristically traced to facilities operating well before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies remained standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion. A single construction excavation has already required the removal and off-site disposal of 140 cubic yards of impacted soil, and the broader remediation has not yet begun. Historical CGL carriers whose policies covered the former gas station's operations during that pre-1986 window may be obligated to fund the cleanup costs that still lie 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.