This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal going back to 1933. 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.

Bulk petroleum operations at this Pullman facility began more than five decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies ceased reliably covering pollution claims. The underground storage tanks installed in 1964 and 1978 stored aviation fuel and gasoline throughout the very years those CGL policies were in force and carried no effective pollution exclusion. With groundwater now confirmed above cleanup levels for multiple petroleum constituents and remediation costs accumulating under the Voluntary Cleanup Program, historical carriers who insured this bulk plant during its pre-1986 operational window may be obligated both to reimburse past cleanup expenditures and to fund the work still ahead.

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.