This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station predating 1986. 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 underground storage tanks at this former gas station were installed decades before their 1999 removal, placing their operational life squarely within the pre-1986 era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. The petroleum contamination discovered in soil and groundwater — including arsenic and MTBE — traces directly to releases from those long-operating tanks. Remediation expenditures incurred through the Voluntary Cleanup Program to reach No Further Action status represent costs that historical CGL carriers on the risk during the tanks' pre-1986 operating years may be obligated to cover.

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.