By Geena Monahan—For the North Star Reporter
Kathleen Murray, a resident of North Attleborough for over 27 years, woke up to a nightmare scenario on a chilly February morning when she and her husband John realized over 190 gallons of oil had leaked out of their tank and seeped into the ground beneath their home.
The worst was yet to come — insurance policies for Massachusetts’ homeowners do not cover accidental home oil spills, unless you pay for an additional “escaped fuel” rider on your policy.
Over the past eight weeks, the Murray family has racked up over $90,000 in invoices for clean-up efforts thus far, and the final cost to remediate all contaminated soil is estimated to reach $500,000. In the wake of this unexpected financial burden, North Attleborough residents, friends, and even strangers, have stepped up and donated $11,350 as of May 12 to a GoFundMe page, helping to chip away at incoming bills while showing support for a local family.
“Everyone’s been great and supportive, and people I haven’t talked to in a long time, whose kids went to school with my kids when they were little, have reached out,” said Kathleen Murray. “I just can’t believe how generous people are, and there are so many people on here (GoFundMe page) that I don’t even know.”
The Murrays have planted deep roots in North Attleborough over the years; John Murray purchased the home on Calvin Drive in 1993 and Kathleen Murray moved in in 1998. The couple raised three sons, two of whom graduated from North Attleborough High School, and were looking forward to having a home that was finally paid off.
According to Kathleen Murray, they’ve used the same local oil delivery company all of those years, and were never made aware of the need to replace or repair their oil tank. She did not wish to name the oil company, as the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection recently ruled it as “not liable” for any of the damage.
“It’s so stressful, just all the time,” said Kathleen Murray, through tears. “Can you even get your arms around having to pay for your house all over again?”
The next step, she said, is to remove the contaminated soil, a task she recently received a quote of $309,000 to complete. The Murrays have applied for financial inability status, which, if granted, would stop the Environmental Protection Agency from issuing further fines.
To Kathleen Murray, getting the word out about the average oil tank lifespan being only 15-20 years and that homeowners are 100% responsible financially if an accidental spill occurs is the only way to turn this situation into something positive. More specifically, she wants to warn her fellow North Attleborough neighbors who also heat their homes with oil, as natural gas isn’t an option on her street, and the cost to heat with propane or electricity can be prohibitive.
“That’s why I wanted to come forward with the story, so other people could protect themselves,” she said. “My biggest message is to check your tanks, and know the risk. Just protect yourself so this doesn’t happen to you.”
Help from Beacon Hill
Kathleen Murray also urged residents to show support, by reaching out to Massachusetts Speaker of the House Ronald Mariano or their local representative for the numerous bills currently in the legislature that would require insurance companies to cover residential heating oil spills, or at the very least, notify homeowners that an additional rider is needed on their policy.
Senate bill 813, presented by state Sen. Jacob Oliveira and co-signed by state Rep. Adam Scanlon, is one such bill that would expand insurance coverage for all policies issued or renewed after July 1, 2025, to include coverage for assessments, mediations and any other property damage due to liquid fuel leaks on an insured person’s residential property.
Response action costs to clean up soil contamination and any groundwater the spill may have reached were also included in the language of the bill.
“The tragedy that the Murray family endured is something so devastating that no family or business should have to go through,” said Scanlon. “I’m proud to partner with other legislators to ensure that our residents and businesses are covered when they have an oil spill at their home. Insurance companies need to be reasonable and protect consumers rights.”
Murrays are not alone
Susan Crane is an environmental lawyer out of Stow, who has lobbied since 2000 for changes in how residential oil spills are covered by insurance companies. Although the Murray family is the latest “high profile” case she has been involved with, Crane said that unfortunately, they are not alone.
Compared to states in the southern U.S., Crane said that the older housing stock in the New England area, combined with limited access to natural gas lines, contributes to higher usage of oil to heat homes in Massachusetts and in turn, higher rates of spills. While New Hampshire has government-funded programs in place to help homeowners pay for home heating spills, Massachusetts only offers a similar program to help commercial businesses, such as gas stations.
Crane said there are rare cases where the oil company can be found liable for damages, but negligence can be difficult to prove in court. This leaves homeowners who can’t afford to pay for a cleanup with the only option of filing for financial inability status, but it’s a lengthy process that must be completed year after year. Although this status takes some of the financial burden off temporarily, it does nothing to help the fact that families still have to reside in a home that’s unsafe and unsellable.
“They’re living on contaminated property, in a house that could be worthless, their drinking water supply and air could be impacted, so it leaves them in a terrible spot,” said Crane.
According to Crane, getting legislation passed is the most straightforward way to help families and the environment to recover from the devastating impacts of a fuel spill. In addition to the Senate bill, Crane also pointed to House bill 1302 as another piece of legislation she’s been involved with that would greatly help homeowners. Crane said the Senate seems to be in favor of the bills, as they’ve passed it in two consecutive sessions, but the House simply hasn’t made it a priority to vote on.
“The more publicity we get out there about the real-life impacts such as what happened to the Murrays, the more likely that state reps are going to hear about this and take it up for a vote,” said Crane. “If they do vote on it, I’m very confident it will pass.”
In a statement on a Reddit post created by Kathleen Murray, which has gathered over 300 comments from people sharing their own oil leak stories, she left readers with the harsh reality that her family now faces: “In Massachusetts, the homeowner is on their own. No help. No shared responsibility. No legal recourse. Just a mountain of debt we never could have prepared for.”