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 benzene and petroleum-gasoline contamination at this ARCO station originated from underground storage tank operations that predate 1986, when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The remediation expenditures incurred through the Voluntary Cleanup Program — from initial investigation through soil and groundwater cleanup to the No Further Action milestone — represent costs that historical carriers who wrote CGL coverage during the station's pre-1986 operational window may still 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.