Talisman Energy to pay $62,000 penalty for violations at 52 natural gas facilities in Pa.

Press release:

Contact: Roy Seneca seneca.roy@epa.gov  215-814-5567

Talisman Energy to pay $62,000 penalty for violations at 52 natural gas facilities in Pa.

PHILADELPHIA (July 25, 2012) -- Talisman Energy USA Inc. will pay a $62,457 penalty to settle alleged violations of hazardous chemical reporting requirements at 52 hydraulic fracturing facilities throughout Pennsylvania that include natural gas well sites and compressor stations, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today. Talisman discovered the violations and self-disclosed them to the EPA.

The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) requires companies that store specified amounts of hazardous chemicals to submit material safety data and lists of chemicals on site with state and local emergency response agencies and the local fire departments. The safety data describes health risks associated with the chemicals and safe handling instructions. The lists of chemicals set forth the types and quantities of chemicals present on site.

Compliance with these requirements is important for the health and safety of facility occupants and first responders in the event of discharge or accidental exposure to hazardous chemicals. The required information also provides valuable information to emergency planners.

The settlement reflects Talisman’s good faith cooperation with EPA, and its compliance efforts in self-disclosing and swiftly correcting the violations. As part of the settlement, the company neither admitted nor denied the alleged violations.

In a consent agreement with EPA, the company has agreed to pay the $62,457 penalty for failing to file required chemical information for one or more of the past three years at each of the facilities included in the settlement.  

For more information on EPCRA and EPA’s toxic chemical reporting program, visit http://www.epa.gov/emergencies/content/epcra/index.htm .

Chemical Producer Faces Fine for Environmental Violations at Fairfield, Conn. Facility

News Release
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
New England Regional Office
July 19, 2012

Contact:  David Deegan, (617) 918-1017

Chemical Producer Faces Fine for Environmental Violations at Fairfield, Conn. Facility

(Boston, Mass. – July 19, 2012) – A chemical producer faces an EPA fine of $93,900 for failing to report the use and storage of hazardous chemicals at its Fairfield, Conn. facility, in violation of the federal right-to-know law.

According to a recent EPA complaint, the company, 5N Plus, Inc., violated the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA) by failing to report hazardous chemical inventory information, known as Tier II reports, to the fire department, and the local and state emergency responders. The company also failed to report the use and potential release of lead and selenium to the state and federal Toxic Release Inventory, a national database of toxic chemical use available to the public. 

During a June 2011 inspection of the facility, EPA determined that 5N Plus had failed to follow the reporting requirements by failing to include gallium trichloride (an extremely hazardous substance) in its inventory of hazardous chemicals for 2010, and by failing to submit Tier II reports for reporting years 2008 and 2009 for chlorine gas, lead and gallium trichloride.  Following further review, EPA also determined that the company had failed to submit accurate Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) reports for lead in 2008 and 2009, and for selenium in 2010.

Accurate reporting of hazardous chemicals at facilities is critically important to ensure that emergency responders are aware of potential hazards that are present at a facility in the case of an emergency so that they can take adequate precautions to protect public health as well as their own well-being.  Further, the company’s failure to file these required forms deprives the community of its right to know about chemicals stored, used, and potentially released in the neighborhood.

After the two inspections, a release of chlorine gas at the facility resulted in area-wide evacuations and worker exposure to chlorine gas. Subsequent to the release, the company moved its gallium trichloride manufacture to another facility.

The proposed penalty includes $40,500 for failure to file Tier II forms for 2008, 2009 and 2010 and $53,400 for failure to file TRI forms for reporting years 2008, 2009 and 2010.

More information:

- Tier II Chemical Reporting (http://www.epa.gov/oem/content/epcra/tier2.htm)

- Toxic Release Inventory Reporting (http://www.epa.gov/tri/)

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Swiss Valley Farms Cooperative in Luana, Iowa, to Pay $33,880 Penalty for Community Right-to-Know Violations

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7

901 N. Fifth St., Kansas City, KS 66101

Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Nine Tribal Nations

Swiss Valley Farms Cooperative in Luana, Iowa, to Pay $33,880 Penalty for Community Right-to-Know Violations

Contact Information: Ben Washburn, 913-551-7364, washburn.ben@epa.gov

Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Kansas City, Kan., May 29, 2012) - Swiss Valley Farms Cooperative, a cheese manufacturer, has agreed to pay a $33,880 civil penalty to the United States to settle two violations of environmental regulations related to the public reporting of toxic chemicals at its facility in Luana, Iowa.

In settlement of this matter, Swiss Valley Farms Cooperative will also complete a supplemental environmental project. Swiss Valley Farms Cooperative will purchase emergency response equipment for the Luana, Iowa, fire department valued at approximately $10,786.

According to an administrative consent agreement and final order filed by EPA Region 7 in Kansas City, Kan., in May 2011, the Agency requested information from Swiss Valley Farms Cooperative and found the company had failed to submit reports to EPA and the State of Iowa concerning quantities of certain toxic chemicals that were manufactured, processed or otherwise used at the facility during 2009. Those chemicals were nitric acid and nitrate compounds. Nitrate compounds are known to be harmful to human health and toxic vapors of nitric acid may cause severe injury, burns, or death. During calendar year 2009, the facility manufactured, processed, or otherwise used 187,000 pounds of nitric acid and 71,000 pounds of nitrate compounds.

Submission of the annual toxic chemical reports is a requirement of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). Under EPCRA regulations, companies of certain size are required to submit annual reports to EPA and state authorities listing the amounts of regulated chemicals that their facilities release into the environment through routine activities or as a result of accidents. The reports provide an important source of information to emergency planners and responders, and residents of surrounding communities.

EPCRA was enacted by Congress in 1986 as an outgrowth of concern over the protection of the public from chemical emergencies and dangers. After the catastrophic accidental release of methyl isocyanate at Union Carbide’s Bhopal, India, facility in December 1984, and a later toxic release from a West Virginia chemical plant, it was evident that national public disclosure of toxic release inventory information was needed.

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