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 recover the cleanup costs already paid.
This property operated as a gasoline service station under Mobil ownership, with underground storage tanks predating the three fiberglass USTs installed as replacements in 1986. The facility subsequently passed through multiple operators — BP, Tosco, ConocoPhillips, and Pacific Convenience & Fuels. A 2008 groundwater investigation by Stantec detected methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) at 20.9 µg/L in monitoring well MW-1, exceeding cleanup levels. The site was enrolled in the Voluntary Cleanup Program and has since received a No Further Action determination. 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.
Gasoline storage and dispensing at this property began under Mobil's original steel tanks, which were in service before the 1986 replacement — placing the onset of potential contamination squarely within the era of occurrence-based Commercial General Liability coverage. The MTBE groundwater contamination documented here is characteristic of slow, cumulative releases from aging underground storage infrastructure of that period. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies to operators during the pre-1986 window may still bear obligations for the investigation and remediation costs incurred to bring this site to closure.
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.