Dakota Access Pipeline Operator Faces $93,000 in Fines, Transportation Department Says The operators of the Dakota Access pipeline will face $93,200 in fines due to safety violations, according to a Friday Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration notice. Energy Transfer, the company that operated the Dakota Access pipeline, violated regulations in at least six locations because the valves used for drainage of stormwater weren’t accessible from outside, according to the notice. The company also did not correct hazards into at least one valve used for nitrogen release. At an inspection of Johnsons Corner pump station it was found that there were changes in the relief valve’s nitrogen pressure, which affects the safety of operating a pipeline, the notice said.