The Bridger Pipeline Expansion, a $2 billion infrastructure project designed to transport oil sands crude from Alberta, Canada to Cushing, Oklahoma, has encountered a regulatory setback in Montana. The proposed 650-mile pipeline would traverse Montana and Wyoming and represents one component of a larger continental infrastructure initiative. The project has been moving through permitting channels at an accelerated pace, with the federal government providing expedited environmental review and issuing a cross-border permit in late April. The project developer, Bridger Pipeline Expansion LLC, a subsidiary of Wyoming-based True Companies, had targeted July 2027 for construction commencement pending necessary approvals.
A significant obstacle emerged when Montana’s Department of Environmental Quality reversed course on a waiver it had previously granted in February. The waiver had permitted the company to exclude certain financial data and baseline environmental information from its state permit application. Montana law establishes the Major Facility Siting Act, which governs the evaluation of large energy infrastructure projects, allowing for the exclusion of “irrelevant information” from review processes. However, an environmental law firm filed a complaint in June on behalf of two state residents, contending that the withheld information was necessary for a complete review.
According to state documents, the pipeline would initially transport approximately 500,000 barrels of crude tar sands oil daily, with projected capacity expanding to 1.13 million barrels per day. The proposed route would cross water bodies 150 times throughout Montana and Wyoming. Opponents have characterized the project as a significant climate concern and have raised environmental hazard concerns related to pipeline infrastructure. The state agency subsequently informed the pipeline company that completion of the permit application requires submission of the previously waived information, with permitting unable to advance until the application meets regulatory standards. The company bears responsibility for providing the required documentation to proceed.
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