This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1982. 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.

Exxon's documented ownership of this gas station extends to at least 1982, with underground storage tanks that predated the 1986 federal registration requirement — squarely within the era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion. The petroleum releases from those pre-1986 UST operations generated cleanup obligations that were ultimately resolved through the Voluntary Cleanup Program. Historical CGL carriers who covered the station during that pre-1986 operational window may remain obligated to reimburse the remediation costs incurred to reach the site's 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.