This property has a documented history as a property with a heating oil tank predating 1986. 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.

The petroleum contamination at this property stems from a bare steel underground storage tank consistent with pre-1986 installation practices in the region. Occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies issued during the tank's early decades of operation carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington and remain potentially accessible for the documented remediation costs — tank removal, soil excavation, and the additional investigation and cleanup work still required to address residual contamination in soil, groundwater, and vapor pathways. As cleanup continues, both past expenditures and future remediation costs may be recoverable from historical carriers whose policies were in force when the heating oil release first occurred.

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.