This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal going back to 1965. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.

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 Olympic pipeline system was constructed and operational from the mid-1960s — more than two decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies still carried no effective pollution exclusion. The petroleum release discovered at this block valve in 1989 originated from infrastructure installed and operated during that pre-1986 policy window, and the resulting groundwater contamination with TPH, BTEX, diesel, and gasoline required remediation through the Voluntary Cleanup Program. Historical CGL carriers who covered the pipeline's operations during the 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s may bear obligation for the cleanup costs incurred to address this release.

Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful cost recovery claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage for costs already incurred. Restorical's forensic accounting team works to re-establish and document past cleanup expenditures, ensuring the strongest possible basis for recovery.