Puna Geothermal Venture has entered into a consent agreement taking steps to prevent accidental releases of hydrogen sulfide gases and settling safety violations with a fine of $76,500, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Puna Geothermal and the EPA signed the agreement in December, and it went into effect Jan. 6. The violations were found during an agency inspection that followed the release of hydrogen sulfide into the atmosphere in March and April 2013.

At low levels hydrogen sulfide, which smells like rotten eggs, has no effect on human beings, but long-term exposure, depending on the dosage, can affect human respiratory and nervous systems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The EPA inspection took place Aug. 20-21, 2013, and found that Puna Geothermal failed to take steps to prevent accidental releases, such as following the manufacturer’s guidelines for testing and inspecting its equipment.

The agency said Puna Geothermal also failed to conduct periodic audits of its accident prevention program.

“The goal of EPA’s inspections is to protect the health and safety of the workers at the plant and the residents in the community,” Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s regional administrator for the Pacific Southwest, said Tuesday.

“Our continued oversight will help ensure that it operates in a safe manner by complying with federal requirements.”

The agency’s action stems from requirements under the federal Clean Air Act to protect workers, communities and the environment.

The release of hydrogen sulfide gas in April 2013 occurred after a pump failure. The resulting leak lasted about 15 minutes, the EPA said.

The March 2013 release of gas occurred after a circuit breaker tripped the local power grid, the EPA said.

The agency said that in the March 2013 release, hydrogen sulfide abatement systems functioned as designed.

Puna Geothermal on Tuesday said it was withholding comment at this time.