This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1951. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.
This property has served industrial purposes for over a century, beginning with wood milling and woodworking that continued through the 1960s, followed by stain and paint manufacturing conducted on site since at least 1951. Nineteen underground storage tanks were identified on the property. PPG Industries acquired the site in 1989 and ceased operations in 1992; site investigations for contamination had already begun in 1988 under a Remedial Action Plan. Cleanup was conducted through the Voluntary Cleanup Program and has reached No Further Action status. That history could support an insurance cost recovery claim against carriers who issued insurance policies 40+ years ago.
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.
Stain and paint manufacturing at this property dates to at least 1951 — more than three decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies ceased reliably covering pollution claims. The petroleum products, non-halogenated solvents, lead, and arsenic now documented in groundwater at concentrations well above cleanup standards are consistent with decades of industrial operations conducted under those earlier policies. Historical carriers who provided CGL coverage during that pre-1986 operational window may still be obligated to recover the remediation costs incurred to bring this site to No Further Action status.
Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful cost recovery claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage for costs already incurred. Restorical's forensic accounting team works to re-establish and document past cleanup expenditures, ensuring the strongest possible basis for recovery.
Recovering Costs from an Older Cleanup
If this site reached No Further Action years ago, the original cleanup expenditures may be difficult to reconstruct. Restorical's forensic accounting team specializes in re-establishing and documenting past cleanup costs — even decades later — to build the strongest possible basis for an insurance recovery claim.
What We Look For
- Historical insurance policies (pre-1986)
- Policy numbers, carrier names, and coverage periods
- Connection between contamination timing and policy period
- Evidence linking cleanup obligation to insured activity
What We Deliver
- Historical Coverage Chart
- Trigger Analysis & Property/Policy Nexus
- Coverage strategy with recommendations
- Insurance funding for your remediation
- Claims Management & Forensic Accounting
The Restorical Proven Process
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Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.