# In eastern Montana, a new oil pipeline comes with perils and a potential payday

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/in-eastern-montana-a-new-oil-pipeline-comes-with-perils-and-a-potential-payday/
- Published: 2026-10-29T08:45:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-03T23:42:12+00:00
- Original publisher: Grist (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://grist.org/energy/in-eastern-montana-bridger-pipeline-comes-with-perils-and-a-potential-payday/
- Topics: Americas, Climate, Science, World

## Key points

- Bridger proposes a 650-mile tar sands oil pipeline through Montana and Wyoming.
- Nearly 300 Montana landowners could receive easement payments.
- The oil is estimated to produce about 20% more emissions than conventional crude.

## Summary

Bridger Pipeline LLC plans a 650-mile pipeline through eastern Montana and Wyoming to carry tar sands oil from Canada to Guernsey, Wyoming. For farmers and ranchers facing drought and rising costs, easement payments could provide welcome income, while the project would transport oil with higher greenhouse gas emissions than conventional crude.

The route crosses nine Montana counties and nearly 300 landowners’ properties. Bridger negotiates payments individually, generally as one-off sums based on pipeline length, and may also cover survey access or preliminary legal advice; previous pipeline offers have ranged from tens of thousands to more than $150,000. President Donald Trump granted the project a permit to cross the Canadian border, and the company says construction could begin within a year.

---
Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.