Locals along the Hi-Line react to Canadian oil sands pipeline
A Wyoming developer's proposed oil pipeline is drawing comparisons to the long-fought Keystone XL pipeline.
Wyoming developer Bridger Pipeline is applying for state and federal permits to build a 647-mile oil pipeline through eastern Montana, starting at the U.S.-Canada border in Phillips County.
Spokesperson Bill Salvin said, once constructed, the pipeline will carry tar sands oil from Alberta to a terminal in southeastern Wyoming.
“Then a partner, who we have not decided on who that partner is going to be yet, will build a subsequent line and get that to either Cushing, Oklahoma or down to the Gulf Coast so that U.S. refineries can take advantage of that oil,” said Salvin.
Local leaders, activists and Tribal members are weighing in on the pipeline this month as part of public outreach through the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and Montana Department of Environmental Quality.
Some say it’s an economic boon. Others, like Fort Peck Tribal member and Wolf Point City Councilman Lance FourStar, say they’re concerned about the long-term effects on water in the area and say this pipeline feels pretty familiar.
“The knee jerk reaction is that this is just the Keystone XL pipeline all over again,” he said.
Like the Keystone XL pipeline, Bridger Pipeline will also have transported Canadian tar sands oil from Phillips County through eastern Montana. Four Star says he fought Keystone XL for years, and he intends to fight the Bridger Pipeline too.
“We know that any threat to our waters is worth standing up to,” he said.
President Joe Biden ultimately ended the Keystone XL pipeline when he withdrew a permit from its Canadian developer in 2021, much to the disappointment of Phillips County Commissioner Richard Dunbar.
Phillips County has a population of roughly 4,000 people, and Dunbar says the pipeline would have been the county’s biggest revenue source in property taxes.
“I mean it was unreal. We couldn’t believe it, that the government would have done that,” Dunbar said.
He said he’s hoping the Bridger Pipeline could provide some of the same economic benefits as the Keystone XL pipeline. The Phillips County Commission recently sent a letter of support.
“We’re glad to hear that it’s gonna come through, we’re excited about it,” said Dunbar.
Friday, May 1, is the deadline for members of the public to submit written comments on the Bridger Pipeline to the Bureau of Land Management. You can find more information on the BLM’s project page.
