Presidential Permit: Authorizing Bridger Pipeline Expansion LLC to Construct, Connect, Operate, and Maintain Pipeline Facilities at the International Boundary at Phillips County, Montana, Between the United States and Canada
This Presidential Permit grants Bridger Pipeline Expansion LLC the authority, subject to specific conditions, to build, operate, and maintain pipeline border facilities in Phillips County, Montana, for the cross-border transport of crude oil and various petroleum products between the United States and Canada.
The permit specifies that the facilities remain subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws, mandates strict operational and maintenance standards, reserves the right for the U.S. government to take possession for national security, and requires the permittee to obtain all necessary rights-of-way and indemnify the government against liabilities.
Arguments For
The permit facilitates international trade and energy infrastructure by authorizing the transport of crude oil and petroleum products between the U.S. and Canada.
Establishing clear, Federally-granted authority (a Presidential Permit) ensures the project is subject to necessary pipeline safety regulations, including those from PHMSA, and standardizes oversight during construction and operation.
The conditions outlined in the permit ensure executive oversight, allowing the President to intervene and take possession of the facilities for national security reasons, while also providing mechanisms for facility removal upon permit termination.
The permittee is required to indemnify the U.S. against liabilities arising from the pipeline's operation, including environmental contamination, placing the financial risk on the private operator.
Arguments Against
Granting a Presidential permit bypasses standard legislative or comprehensive regulatory processes, concentrating significant authority in the executive branch regarding major infrastructure crossing an international border.
The authorization permits the transport of crude oil and various petroleum products, which raises concerns regarding potential environmental impacts, particularly concerning potential spills or releases in Montana or along the transport route.
The conditions stipulate that the permit does not create enforceable rights for any party against the United States, which could limit legal avenues for affected parties or local governments to challenge operational decisions.
Allowing changes to capacity or directional flow without a substantial amendment to the permit grants broad operational flexibility to the permittee that may not have been fully contemplated during the initial review.
By virtue of the authority vested in me as President of the United States of America (the “President”), I hereby grant this Presidential permit, subject to the conditions herein set forth to Bridger Pipeline Expansion LLC (the “permittee”). The permittee is a privately held limited liability company organized under the laws of the State of Wyoming and a wholly owned subsidiary of Bridger Pipeline LLC. Permission is hereby granted to the permittee to construct, connect, operate, and maintain pipeline Border facilities, as described herein, at the international border of the United States and Canada in Phillips County, Montana, for the transport between the United States and Canada of crude oil and petroleum products of every description, refined or unrefined (inclusive of, but not limited to, naphtha, liquefied petroleum gas, natural gas liquids, jet fuel, gasoline, kerosene, and diesel), but not including natural gas subject to section 3 of the Natural Gas Act, as amended (15 U.S.C. 717b).
The President grants a Presidential permit to Bridger Pipeline Expansion LLC, a Wyoming-based subsidiary of Bridger Pipeline LLC. This authorization covers the construction, connection, operation, and maintenance of pipeline border facilities located in Phillips County, Montana, at the U.S.-Canada border.
The pipeline is permitted to transport crude oil and various refined or unrefined petroleum products, explicitly excluding natural gas regulated under Section 3 of the Natural Gas Act.
This permit does not affect the applicability of any otherwise-relevant laws and regulations. As confirmed in Article 2 of this permit, the Border facilities shall remain subject to all such laws and regulations.
This permit does not override existing laws or regulations that apply to the project.
Article 2 of the permit reinforces that the Border facilities must comply with all relevant laws and regulations.
The term “Facilities” as used in this permit means the portion in the United States of the international pipeline project associated with the permittee’s January 30, 2026, application for a new permit, and any land, structures, installations, or equipment appurtenant thereto.
The term "Facilities" refers to the U.S. portion of the international pipeline project related to the permittee's application dated January 30, 2026.
This definition includes all associated land, structures, installations, or equipment necessary for the project.
The term “Border facilities” as used in this permit means those parts of the Facilities consisting of a 36-inch diameter pipeline extending from the international border between the United States and Canada in Phillips County, Montana, to and including the first mainline shut-off valve or pumping station in the United States located less than 2,000 feet from the international border, and any land, structures, installations, or equipment appurtenant thereto.
The term "Border facilities" has a specific meaning for this permit.
It describes the segment of the 36-inch pipeline located in the U.S., starting at the international border in Phillips County, Montana, and extending up to 2,000 feet south to include the first mainline shut-off valve or pumping station, plus any supporting equipment.
This permit is subject to the following conditions:
The following articles outline the specific rules and requirements that the permittee must adhere to for this permit to remain valid.
Article 1. The Border facilities herein described, and all aspects of their operation, shall be subject to all the conditions, provisions, and requirements of this permit and any subsequent Presidential amendment to it. The permittee shall make no substantial change in the Border facilities, in the location of the Border facilities, or in the operation authorized by this permit unless the President has approved the change in an amendment to this permit or in a new permit. Such substantial changes do not include, and the permittee may make, changes to the average daily throughput capacity of the Border facilities to any volume of products that is achievable through the Border facilities, and to the directional flow of any such products.
Article 1 states that the Border facilities and their operation must comply with all terms of this permit and any future Presidential amendments.
The permittee cannot make significant changes to the facilities, their location, or how they operate unless the President approves them via an amendment or new permit.
However, the permittee can change the daily volume transported up to the facility's maximum achievable capacity, and they can also change the direction in which products flow.
Article 2. The standards for, and the manner of, operation and maintenance of the Border facilities shall be subject to inspection by the representatives of appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies. Officers and employees of such agencies who are duly authorized and performing their official duties shall be granted free and unrestricted access to the Border facilities by the permittee. The Border facilities, including the operation and maintenance of the Border facilities, shall be subject to all applicable laws and regulations, including pipeline safety laws and regulations issued or administered by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation. The permittee shall obtain requisite permits from relevant State and local governmental entities, and relevant Federal agencies.
Article 2 subjects the operation and maintenance of the Border facilities to inspection by authorized federal, state, and local agency representatives.
The permittee must give these officials unrestricted access to the pipeline. The facilities must adhere to all relevant laws, specifically including pipeline safety regulations enforced by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).
Furthermore, the permittee is responsible for securing all required permits from state, local, and federal agencies.
Article 3. Upon the termination, revocation, or surrender of this permit, unless otherwise decided by the President, the permittee, at its own expense, shall remove the Border facilities within such time as the President may specify. If the permittee fails to comply with an order to remove, or to take such other appropriate action with respect to, the Border facilities, the President may direct an appropriate official or agency to take possession of the Border facilities — or to remove the Border facilities or take other action — at the expense of the permittee. The permittee shall have no claim for damages caused by any such possession, removal, or other action.
Article 3 dictates that if the permit ends through termination, revocation, or surrender, the permittee must remove the Border facilities at their own cost unless the President orders otherwise. If the permittee refuses to remove the facilities as directed, the President can order an agency to take possession or remove them, charging the cost to the permittee.
The permittee waives any claim for damages resulting from this government action.
Article 4. When, in the judgment of the President, ensuring the national security of the United States requires entering upon and taking possession of any of the Border facilities or parts thereof, and retaining possession, management, or control thereof for such a length of time as the President may deem necessary, the United States shall have the right to do so, provided that the President or his designee has given due notice to the permittee. The United States shall also have the right thereafter to restore possession and control to the permittee. In the event that the United States exercises the rights described in this article, it shall pay to the permittee just and fair compensation for the use of such Border facilities, upon the basis of a reasonable profit in normal conditions, and shall bear the cost of restoring the Border facilities to their previous condition, less the reasonable value of any improvements that may have been made by the United States.
Article 4 grants the President the right to seize control and possession of the Border facilities if national security requires it, provided due notice is given to the permittee.
The U.S. government can retain this control for as long as deemed necessary, after which possession reverts to the permittee.
If the government takes possession, it must pay the permittee fair compensation based on a reasonable profit under normal conditions and cover the costs of restoring the facilities, minus the value of any improvements the government made.
Article 5. Any transfer of ownership or control of the Border facilities, or any part thereof, or any changes to the name of the permittee, shall be immediately communicated in writing to the President or his designee, and shall include information identifying any transferee. Notwithstanding any such transfers or changes, this permit shall remain in force subject to all of its conditions, permissions, and requirements, and any amendments thereto.
Article 5 requires the permittee to immediately notify the President or their designee in writing of any transfer of ownership or control of the Border facilities, including identifying details of the new party.
The permit remains fully effective and subject to all its original conditions, permissions, and amendments, regardless of such ownership or name changes.
Article 6. (1) The permittee is responsible for acquiring any right-of-way grants or easements, permits, and other authorizations as may become necessary or appropriate.
(2) The permittee shall hold harmless and indemnify the United States from any claimed or adjudged liability arising out of construction, connection, operation, or maintenance of the Border facilities, including environmental contamination from the release, threatened release, or discharge of hazardous substances or hazardous waste.
(3) To ensure the safe operation of the Border facilities, the permittee shall maintain them and every part of them in a condition of good repair and in compliance with applicable law.
Article 6 spells out several key responsibilities for the permittee.
Paragraph (1) mandates that the permittee must secure all necessary rights-of-way grants, easements, and authorizations.
Paragraph (2) requires the permittee to protect and compensate the U.S. government against any liability stemming from the construction, connection, operation, or maintenance of the facilities, especially concerning environmental pollution from hazardous substances.
Paragraph (3) requires the permittee to keep the Border facilities in good repair and compliant with all applicable laws to ensure safe operation.
Article 7. The permittee shall file with the President or his designee, and with appropriate agencies, such sworn statements or reports with respect to the Border facilities, or the permittee’s activities and operations in connection therewith, as are now, or may hereafter, be required under any law or regulation of the United States Government or its agencies. These reporting obligations do not alter the intent that this permit be operative as a directive issued by the President alone.
Article 7 requires the permittee to submit any required sworn statements or operational reports concerning the Border facilities to the President or their designee, and to relevant agencies, as mandated by current or future U.S. laws or regulations.
The document clarifies that these reporting duties do not change the fundamental nature of the permit, which acts as a directive issued solely by the President.
Article 8. Upon request, the permittee shall provide appropriate information to the President or his designee with regard to the Border facilities. Such requests could include, for example, information concerning current conditions or anticipated changes in ownership or control, construction, connection, operation, or maintenance of the Border facilities.
Article 8 obligates the permittee to provide necessary information regarding the Border facilities to the President or their designee upon request.
This information might cover the facilities' current status or expected future changes related to ownership, construction, connection, operation, or maintenance.
Article 9. This permit is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
Article 9 serves as a disclaimer, stating clearly that the issuance of this permit does not create any legal or equitable rights or benefits enforceable by any party against the United States government or its personnel.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fiftieth.
DONALD J. TRUMP
This concluding paragraph certifies the document's execution date as April 30, 2026, which marks the 250th year of American Independence.
The document is signed by Donald J. Trump.
Related
National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend, 2026
* The President issued a proclamation designating May 2–3, 2026, as National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend and ordered flags flown at half-staff on May 3, 2026.
Read MoreNominations and Withdrawals Sent to the Senate
The President transmitted a list of eleven new nominations to the Senate for confirmation across diplomatic, domestic agency, and judicial branches, while simultaneously withdrawing four previously submitted nominations.
Read MoreNominations Sent to the Senate
The President formally sent a list of nominations for Senate confirmation to key governmental roles, spanning diplomatic, justice, defense, economic, and health sectors.
Read MorePresidential Determination Pursuant to Section 303 of the Defense Production Act of 1950, as Amended, on Grid Infrastructure, Equipment, and Supply Chain Capacity
* The President determined that grid infrastructure supply chains are essential to national defense and invoked Section 303 of the Defense Production Act to expand domestic production capacity.
Read More