$2B Montana Pipeline Expansion Hits Roadblock Amid Environmental Concerns
The Bridger Pipeline Expansion project, worth $2 billion and spanning over 1,000 kilometers, has hit a roadblock in Montana. The pipeline aims to connect oil sands in Alberta, Canada to Cushing, Oklahoma, with one of three proposed legs crossing through the US.
Initially granted an expedited environmental review by the Trump administration, the project received a cross-border permit in late April. Permitting documents suggest Bridger Pipeline Expansion hopes to break ground as soon as July 2027, pending state and federal approval.
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) withdrew a waiver it had granted the pipeline, which allowed the company to omit certain financial information and baseline environmental data from its application. This decision was made after Earthjustice filed a complaint on behalf of two Montana residents against DEQ's initial decision to grant the waiver.
Project opponents have raised concerns over potential environmental harms, citing the proposed path crossing water 150 times. The pipeline is expected to move roughly 500,000 barrels of crude tar sands oil per day, with a projected increase to 1.13 million barrels at full capacity.