This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal going back to 1930. 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.

Petroleum contamination at this property traces to bulk fuel storage and distribution operations that began in the 1930s — more than five decades before occurrence-based CGL policies gave way to claims-made forms with pollution exclusions in 1986. The underground storage tanks installed around 1950 and the decades of fuel handling that followed created the conditions for the gasoline, diesel, and benzene releases now documented in groundwater across the site. The remediation costs already incurred through investigation, monitoring, and cleanup — and those still ahead — represent expenditures that historical carriers who underwrote the facility's pre-1986 operations may be obligated both to recover and to fund going forward.

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.