The Montana Department of Environmental Quality recently withdrew a permit waiver previously granted to the Bridger Pipeline Expansion. This 650-mile project, intended to transport crude tar sands oil from Canada through Montana to Wyoming, faces new requirements to disclose baseline environmental and financial data. The state agency initially allowed the company to omit this information under the Major Facility Siting Act, but reversed course following a legal complaint filed by Earthjustice.
The proposed pipeline intends to move an initial 500,000 barrels of oil per day, with projections reaching 1.13 million barrels at full capacity. Opponents of the project, including the Montana Environmental Information Center, argue that the pipeline poses significant risks to water safety and local ecosystems, noting that the route crosses water sources 150 times. Critics have labeled the project a major climate threat and argue that public transparency was lacking during the initial comment periods.
Legal representatives from Earthjustice successfully argued that the state review process requires a full disclosure of potential impacts to comply with the law. DEQ attorney Jeremiah Langston confirmed that the agency is now requiring Bridger to provide the previously waived information before the permitting process can continue. Bridger must now submit this data to meet state standards for approval.
While the project has received a cross-border permit from federal authorities, the state-level permitting remains stalled pending this additional documentation. Supporters view the pipeline as an essential energy development, while environmental advocates maintain that the potential for leaks and ecological harm necessitates rigorous scrutiny. The timeline for construction, currently planned for July 2027, remains contingent on the company meeting these updated compliance requirements.