This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station going back to 1931. 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.

Petroleum service operations at this property began in approximately 1931 — more than five decades before 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies ceased reliably covering pollution claims in Washington. The gasoline, BTEX, heavy oil, and waste oil contamination found in soil and groundwater here is directly traceable to decades of fueling and automotive-service operations conducted under those earlier policies. Historical carriers who provided CGL coverage during that extended pre-1986 operational window may still be obligated to reimburse the remediation costs incurred to achieve 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.