This property has a documented history as a public works and maintenance facility going back to 1947. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
The NW Baggage Tunnel is core infrastructure at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, which has operated since 1947. Investigations have identified polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), halogenated organics, non-halogenated solvents, priority-pollutant metals, and petroleum products in groundwater and surface water at the site, with the property listed on Ecology's Contaminated Sites List since June 1993. Cleanup is underway through the Standard Cleanup program, though remediation work is not yet complete. 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.
SeaTac Airport's operations date to 1947 — nearly four decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies ceased being the industry standard. The presence of PCBs, manufactured and widely used in electrical transformers and hydraulic systems before their 1979 federal ban, ties the contamination directly to that pre-1986 operational window. Historical carriers who issued CGL policies to the airport's operators during those decades may bear obligations both to recover remediation costs already incurred and to fund the cleanup 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.
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.