This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal going back to 1960. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
This property is the Olympia Junction pump station on the Olympic Pipe Line Company's petroleum pipeline system, which was constructed in the early 1960s and spans approximately 400 miles from Whatcom County to Portland, Oregon. The station has passed through a succession of operators — Olympic Pipe Line Company, ARCO (Atlantic Richfield), BP, and the current Enbridge/ARCO joint venture — and contains both a 14-inch active pipeline and an abandoned 6-inch pipeline. A diesel spill in January 1992 triggered environmental investigation, and subsequent monitoring has confirmed petroleum hydrocarbons, non-halogenated solvents, and pesticides in groundwater; cleanup is ongoing under Washington's Standard Cleanup program. 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.
Petroleum pipeline infrastructure at this station dates to the early 1960s, placing more than two decades of continuous operations before the 1986 threshold when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies ceased reliably covering pollution claims. The confirmed groundwater contamination — petroleum products, solvents, and pesticides — is consistent with the kind of gradual, long-duration release those pre-1986 policies were designed to address. With cleanup ongoing and multiple historical corporate operators in the ownership chain, the remediation expenditures already incurred and those still ahead may be recoverable from carriers who issued CGL policies during the station's pre-1986 operational window.
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.