This property has a documented history as a bulk fuel distribution terminal going back to 1979. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could recover the cleanup costs already paid.
This property operated as a Unocal petroleum bulk distribution plant in Pasco, with a facility layout established by at least 1979 and confirmed active through 1989. Infrastructure included five above-grade fuel storage tanks, underground gasoline and diesel tanks, and an underground waste oil tank. A 1989 subsurface contamination study by GeoEngineers identified metals and petroleum products in groundwater; tanks were removed in September 1994, with rusting and pitting consistent with decades of service. The site entered the Voluntary Cleanup Program and has since achieved No Further Action status, with groundwater remediation complete. That history could support an insurance cost recovery claim against carriers who issued insurance policies 40+ years ago.
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 Unocal Bulk Plant's tank infrastructure was in place by the late 1970s — well within the era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies were standard and carried no effective pollution exclusion. Petroleum and metals contamination requiring groundwater remediation at this facility traces to operations conducted during that pre-1986 policy window. Historical CGL carriers who covered Unocal's bulk plant operations during those years may still bear obligations for the cleanup costs incurred to bring the site to its current 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.
Recovering Costs from an Older Cleanup
If this site reached No Further Action years ago, the original cleanup expenditures may be difficult to reconstruct. Restorical's forensic accounting team specializes in re-establishing and documenting past cleanup costs — even decades later — to build the strongest possible basis for an insurance recovery claim.
What We Look For
- Historical insurance policies (pre-1986)
- Policy numbers, carrier names, and coverage periods
- Connection between contamination timing and policy period
- Evidence linking cleanup obligation to insured activity
What We Deliver
- Historical Coverage Chart
- Trigger Analysis & Property/Policy Nexus
- Coverage strategy with recommendations
- Insurance funding for your remediation
- Claims Management & Forensic Accounting
The Restorical Proven Process
Stay up to date on environmental property cleanup laws and changes.
Report Email Updates
Request more information on this property
Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.