Montana Pipeline Project Faces Setback Over Withdrawn Waiver

The Bridger Pipeline Expansion project, a proposed $2 billion, 650-mile pipeline intended to transport oil sands from Alberta, Canada, to Cushing, Oklahoma, has encountered a significant obstacle in its permitting process. The project, which has been fast-tracked by the Trump administration with an expedited environmental review by the Bureau of Land Management and a granted cross-border permit in late April, faced a setback on July 22 when the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) withdrew a waiver it had previously issued. This waiver had allowed the developer, Bridger Pipeline Expansion, LLC, a subsidiary of Wyoming-based True Companies, to omit certain financial information and baseline environmental data from its state permit application. Groundbreaking for the pipeline was tentatively planned for July 2027, contingent on state and federal approvals. However, construction cannot commence without the DEQ permit and final federal authorization. The core of the dispute lies within Montana's Major Facility Siting Act, a state law governing the assessment of economic, community, and environmental impacts of large energy infrastructure projects. Earlier in the year, Bridger had requested a waiver from the DEQ to exclude specific financial, economic, and baseline environmental data from its application, arguing this information was "irrelevant" to the review process. The DEQ initially granted this waiver in February but has now reversed that decision. The environmental law firm Earthjustice filed a complaint in June, contributing to the agency's reconsideration of the waiver. The withdrawal of the waiver means Bridger Pipeline Expansion, LLC must now provide the omitted financial and environmental data to the DEQ, potentially prolonging the permitting process and delaying the project's timeline. This development highlights the scrutiny such large-scale energy projects face, particularly concerning environmental and financial transparency requirements mandated by state legislation. The project's future hinges on navigating these regulatory hurdles and satisfying the DEQ's data requirements. The pipeline's route is planned to traverse both Montana and Wyoming, connecting Canadian oil sands to a key U.S. trading hub, underscoring its significance in the broader energy infrastructure landscape. The expedited review process initiated by the federal government suggests a priority placed on the project, making the DEQ's reversal a notable impediment.