Company pays fine for Pa. fracking data

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PHILADELPHIA, July 26 (UPI) -- The EPA said Talisman Energy agrees to pay a penalty for alleged violations tied to hydraulic fracturing operations in Pennsylvania.

Talisman Energy settled alleged health and safety violations at 52 sites in Pennsylvania that include natural gas wells and hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, facilities, the Environmental Protection Agency said.

"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," a statement by the agency read.

A right-to-know act requires companies that store hazardous chemicals keep material safety data information on site and on file with state and local agencies.

Shale natural gas extraction is controversial. There are concerns that some waste and chemicals associated with the extraction methods could contaminate water supplies.

A study by researchers at Duke University and California State Polytechnic University said natural processes were leading to some levels of contamination in drinking water wells and aquifers in northeastern Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania hosts a portion of the Marcellus shale play, one of the largest sources of natural gas in the United States.

The EPA said Talisman, through good faith cooperation with the agency, neither admitted nor denied the alleged violations.