This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1942. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.
This property was purchased by Cascade Petroleum Co. in 1942 and operated as a retail gasoline station from 1946 through 2001, following Cascade's merger with Time Oil Co. (now TOC Holdings Co.). Underground storage tanks were present on site from the 1940s — initially a 475-gallon, 525-gallon, 1,000-gallon, and 3,000-gallon UST — with additional tanks installed in 1951 and the station rebuilt in 1972 with two 8,000-gallon and one 12,000-gallon USTs. Investigation under the Voluntary Cleanup Program confirmed petroleum hydrocarbons, benzene, and non-halogenated solvents in groundwater; the site has since received a No Further Action determination. 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 contamination in groundwater at this property — benzene, gasoline-range and diesel-range hydrocarbons, and non-halogenated solvents — originated from underground storage tanks operated continuously from the 1940s through 2001, decades before the 1986 shift to claims-made pollution exclusions. Occurrence-based CGL policies issued to Cascade Petroleum and its successor Time Oil Co. during that pre-1986 window remain enforceable in Washington and may obligate historical carriers to recover the investigation and remediation costs incurred to bring this site to its No Further Action status.
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.
Recovering Costs from an Older Cleanup
If this site reached No Further Action years ago, the original cleanup expenditures may be difficult to reconstruct. Restorical's forensic accounting team specializes in re-establishing and documenting past cleanup costs — even decades later — to build the strongest possible basis for an insurance recovery claim.
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.