This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.

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 fuel farm's connection to SeaTac Airport — operational since 1949 — and Northwest Airlines' decades-long presence at the airport place this facility's operations well within the pre-1986 occurrence-based CGL policy era. The breadth of contamination across multiple media — halogenated organics, PCBs, metals, petroleum, and solvents in groundwater and surface water — points to long-term industrial releases from those historical operations. As the site now faces investigation and remediation costs under Washington's Standard Cleanup program, CGL policies issued to the facility's operators during that pre-1986 window may be obligated to fund the cleanup 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.