This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility going back to 1950. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.

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 Buse family's sawmill operations spanned more than three decades before 1986, generating over thirty years of potential CGL policy coverage during a period when occurrence-based policies carried no effective pollution exclusion under Washington law. The arsenic, lead, PAH, and petroleum contamination found in groundwater here traces to industrial activities conducted under those policies. Remediation costs incurred to bring Smith Street Sawmill to No Further Action status represent expenditures that historical carriers who covered the Buse family's operations during the 1950s-through-1985 window may be obligated to recover.

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.