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.

The presence of a dedicated leaded-gasoline tank — a fuel grade phased out of retail sale by the mid-1980s — and the single-wall fiberglass tank construction that predates 1988 EPA double-wall requirements together indicate this station's fuel distribution infrastructure was in place before 1986. Occurrence-based CGL policies issued during that pre-1986 operational window carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. The documented remediation expenditures here — UST removal, site assessment, and more than a decade of quarterly groundwater monitoring — represent cleanup costs that historical carriers may be obligated to fund as this site's remediation continues.

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.