This property has a documented history as a gasoline service station predating 1986. 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 petroleum release at this site was reported in 1994, but the underground storage tanks responsible for the contamination were installed and operating years or decades earlier — consistent with the typical 20-to-30-year lifecycle of gas station USTs from that era. Occurrence-based CGL policies issued to the operator during that pre-1986 installation window carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The remediation costs incurred through the Voluntary Cleanup Program — from the 1994 release through the 2011 No Further Action determination — represent expenditures that historical carriers 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.