This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1972. 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 steel underground storage tanks at this former Texaco station are characteristic of pre-1986 installations, with the standard 25-year tank lifecycle placing their installation around 1972 or earlier. Occurrence-based CGL policies issued to the operators during that window would have covered pollution claims without the absolute exclusion introduced in later policy forms. The documented remediation expenditures — site characterization, removal of five USTs, engineering investigation, and regulatory compliance through the Voluntary Cleanup Program — represent costs that historical carriers from that pre-1986 era may be obligated to recover.

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.