Trump Grants Presidential Permit for Bridger Cross‑Border Pipeline; Project Still Faces Reviews and Legal Challenges

President Donald Trump has granted a presidential permit for the cross-border portion of the proposed Bridger pipeline, an early federal approval for a project that would bring Canadian crude oil into Montana. But the decision is not final clearance to build the full line: the project still faces federal environmental review, state siting decisions and likely legal challenges.

Trump signed the permit April 30, and it was published in the Federal Register on Tuesday. The permit authorizes Bridger Pipeline Expansion LLC to construct, connect, operate and maintain pipeline facilities at the U.S.-Canada border in Phillips County, Montana. The broader project would run roughly 645 to 647 miles from the border to Guernsey, Wyoming, including about 435 miles in Montana, according to the company’s filing with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. Bridger says the line is expected to carry about 550,000 barrels of crude per day under current assumptions, with design capacity that could rise to about 1.13 million barrels per day if additional pump stations are added later.

The presidential permit is narrow in scope. It covers only the border facilities — a 36-inch-diameter pipeline running from the international boundary to the first mainline shut-off valve or pumping station in the United States, less than 2,000 feet from the border. The permit itself says it does not waive any other federal, state or local requirements, meaning the rest of the project still needs separate approvals before construction could begin.

Those reviews are already underway. The Bureau of Land Management, the federal agency overseeing public lands, published a notice of intent in April to prepare an environmental impact statement, the detailed review required for major projects with potentially significant effects. In that notice, BLM described the route as about 646.8 miles, with roughly 63.8 miles that could cross federal land managed by BLM or the U.S. Forest Service. In Montana, the state’s review is also moving through the Major Facility Siting Act process after Bridger submitted an application dated March 26, 2026, to the Department of Environmental Quality. Company spokesperson reporting says Bridger expects construction to begin in fall 2027 and hopes to complete the pipeline by late 2028 or early 2029, subject to permits.

The project matters because it would create a new route for Canadian crude into pipeline hubs in Wyoming, potentially improving access to refiners and export markets. Reuters reported that, if built, the line could increase Canada’s crude exports to the United States by more than 12%. The permit identifies Bridger Pipeline Expansion LLC as a privately held Wyoming limited liability company and a wholly owned subsidiary of Bridger Pipeline LLC.

The project is also poised to become a political and legal battleground. Environmental groups are already pressing for a more searching review. Earthjustice, representing several groups, filed a May 1 comment letter urging a thorough environmental impact statement and warning of spill and climate risks, writing that “the question is not whether a pipeline will spill oil, but rather when it will spill oil.” Some contemporary coverage has dubbed the proposal “Keystone Light” because it recalls the contentious Keystone XL fight, though it is a separate project. That comparison underscores why the permit matters but is not decisive: a presidential permit is required for a cross-border pipeline facility, yet it is not the final word, and such approvals can become flashpoints, as shown when President Joe Biden revoked Keystone XL’s permit in 2021.