This property has a documented history as a landfill predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.

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.

Environmental investigations at this landfill date to 1979 — well within the era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The site's history as a hazardous waste disposal operation and the multi-agency investigation record spanning nearly a decade before 1986 reflect the kind of long-duration environmental liability those policies were written to cover. Historical carriers who insured operations during that window may bear obligations for cleanup costs now being addressed under Ecology's program.

Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful coverage claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage. Restorical then manages the claim, including accounting, to ensure the cleanup is funded in a timely manner.