This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1966. 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 original underground storage tanks at this station were installed in 1966 and operated continuously for twenty years before their removal in 1986 — a timeline that falls entirely within the era of occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carrying no effective pollution exclusion. The petroleum contamination detected in groundwater here is directly attributable to those two decades of pre-1986 tank operations. Remediation costs incurred to bring the site from an active petroleum release through the Voluntary Cleanup Program to a No Further Action determination represent expenditures that historical CGL carriers who covered the facility during its 1966–1986 operational window 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.