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 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.

Major car rental companies have operated fueling facilities at SeaTac Airport — which opened in 1947 — since the 1960s and 1970s, placing this facility's operations squarely within the pre-1986 occurrence-based CGL era. Underground storage tanks discovered leaking by 1989 were, under standard industry tank lifecycles, very likely installed well before 1986 — during the period when commercial general liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion. The ongoing remediation costs for petroleum and solvent contamination in groundwater at this site represent expenditures that historical carriers who issued policies during that operational window may be obligated to fund.

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.