Story from www.billingsgazette.com
President Donald Trump approved a cross-border permit last week, allowing Bridger Pipeline to build its 647-mile expansion across the Canadian border to Phillips County down through Eastern Montana to Guernsey, Wyoming.
A document associated with the company's March application shows proposed routes for the Bridger Pipeline expansion coming from Canada.
A presidential permit is a crucial element in developing a pipeline from Canada into the United States. The past undeveloped Keystone XL pipeline ultimately faltered once President Joe Biden revoked its cross-border permit after Trump issued the permit in his first term. President Barack Obama had first rejected the permit application in 2015 amid environmental concerns.
While preliminary project documents indicate Wyoming-based Bridger Pipeline considered less lengthy and likely more cost-effective routes, those options would likely have had a more arduous permitting process.
The company has said its detection systems for oil spills have improved since that Glendive incident. The pipeline is reportedly planned to be buried 30 to 40 feet below most rivers to prevent such an accident from reoccurring.
Bridger Pipeline has previously estimated that construction would begin in July 2027. In its initial siting application, it estimated that construction would take about 12 to 18 months, or around January 2029 at the latest.
Trump's term ends Jan. 20, 2029.
