This property has a documented history as a industrial and manufacturing facility predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property 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.

BNSF and its predecessor railroads have operated this Stanwood rail corridor since the nineteenth century — decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies still carried no effective pollution exclusion. Petroleum contamination now documented in groundwater and surface water requires active remediation under the Standard Cleanup program. Historical carriers who insured rail operations at this location during the pre-1986 window may bear obligations toward the cleanup costs already being incurred and those still to come.

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.