This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1959. 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.

Petroleum contamination at this site originated from underground storage tanks installed and operated by Phillips 66 beginning in 1959 — twenty-seven years before occurrence-based CGL policies ceased reliably covering pollution claims. The groundwater contamination confirmed here, including benzene and petroleum hydrocarbons at levels above cleanup standards, traces directly to infrastructure and operations conducted during that pre-1986 window. Decades of documented remediation expenditures — active cleanup from 1993 to 1998, long-term monitoring, and ongoing natural attenuation — represent costs that historical carriers who issued CGL policies to Phillips 66, Mobil, or their successors during the 1959–1986 period may be obligated both to recover and to fund going forward.

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.