![](\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/img-assets\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-1232058830.jpg?w=2048\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Two of the most controversial pipeline projects this century\u2014the failed Keystone XL project and the successful Dakota Access Pipeline\u2014are gaining new life to move Canadian oil into the U.S., backed by cross-border permits quickly approved by President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n
The April permits arrive as oil producers push to move growing Canadian volumes to U.S. refineries, and the war in Iran gives cover to boost the case for greater North American energy self-sufficiency.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese projects are popping out more so because of what\u2019s happening in Iran,\u201d said Keland Rumsey, crude team lead analyst for East Daley Analytics,\u00a0arguing the war may help expedite the projects that were already under consideration. \u201cThe regulatory environment with the current sitting president obviously helps these projects get movement.\u201d<\/p>\n
The defunct Keystone XL (KXL) from Alberta through Nebraska\u2014killed by both the Obama and Biden administrations\u2014is being revived in a slimmer form with a different name.<\/p>\n
The combined Prairie Connector and Bridger Pipeline Expansion projects by Canada\u2019s South Bow and True Companies\u2019 Bridger Pipeline would use existing KXL pipe and assets on the Canadian side\u2014partially built before it was last canceled in 2021\u2014meeting a new Bridger pipeline at the Montana border and running 647 miles to the Guernsey, Wyoming interconnection hub.<\/p>\n
Likewise, Rumsey said the \u201cnotoriously underutilized\u201d Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL)\u2014which stretches from North Dakota to Illinois\u2014would indirectly expand to move Canadian crude by connecting with Calgary-based pipeline giant Enbridge.<\/p>\n
Enbridge plans to reverse its Bakken Pipeline (Line 26)\u2014also underutilized\u2014that historically runs north into Canada to instead flow Canadian barrels south to DAPL. Enbridge would build about 80 miles of additional pipelines to connect the two networks.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese two projects are leveraging more existing infrastructure so that they already have a lot of the rights of ways and permits in order,\u201d Rumsey told Fortune.<\/p>\n
In doing so, the goal is to avoid a lot of the environmental and political fights with protestors and Native Americans that ensued with KXL and DAPL.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou face less resistance when there\u2019s already pipe in the ground,\u201d Rumsey said.<\/p>\n
New Keystone light momentum<\/p>\n
The companies are pushing ahead with these projects but neither one is a sure thing at this point.<\/p>\n
South Bow, which is the oil spinoff of the original KXL developer TransCanada (now TC Energy), said the Prairie Connector process is undergoing an internal review process until the end of May.<\/p>\n
The project would move at least 450,000 barrels of Canadian heavy oil sands barrels to the U.S. each day.<\/p>\n
South Bow CEO Bevin Wirzba said in his May 8 earnings call that the presidential permit is a \u201cmeaningful development,\u201d but that more planning is still needed, especially when multiple companies are involved.<\/p>\n
The biggest question mark is connecting the dots from Guernsey, Wyoming to the Cushing, Oklahoma oil hub that ships barrels down to the Gulf Coast refining complexes and export terminals in Texas and Louisiana.<\/p>\n
Another pipeline is still needed and the route is unclear\u2014at least publicly. Following the proposed KXL route means addressing permitting challenges the project faced in Nebraska. Rumsey and other analysts suggested following the route of Tallgrass Energy\u2019s Pony Express Pipeline, but both Bridger and Tallgrass denied to Fortune the possibility of a partnership to move the Canadian barrels.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are exploring options for the route from Guernsey to either Cushing or to the Gulf Coast,\u201d Bridger spokesman Bill Salvin told Fortune.<\/p>\n
For Enbridge, it\u2019s focused on moving as much additional Canadian oil to the U.S. as it can. It has multiple expansions underway of its Mainline network\u2014the largest source of Canadian oil exports to the U.S.\u2014and the Bakken pipeline reversal in North Dakota is part of the overall effort.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe importance of energy security has become even more evident since the start of the conflict with Iran, and Enbridge is well positioned to deliver North America\u2019s abundant energy resources, both domestically and globally,\u201d Enbridge CEO Greg Ebel said in his May 8 earnings call.<\/p>\n
That means teaming up with Dakota Access Pipeline developer Energy Transfer, whose co-CEO, Tom Long, said on his May 5 earnings call that he is hopeful for a final decision within a month or two to move an additional 250,000 of Canadian oil on DAPL.<\/p>\n
These projects also would strengthen Canadian reliance on U.S. oil markets at a time when Canada has looked to export more volumes from its West Coast to Asia. In addition to a planned expansion of the Trans Mountain Pipeline\u2014the only network moving barrels east to west\u2014proposals are being discussed for a new oil pipeline to British Columbia.<\/p>\n
The newly permitted projects in the U.S. should nullify any need for another oil pipeline to the west, Rumsey said. \u201cI\u2019m very skeptical of another pipeline,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t think Canada wants a scenario with an expensive overbuild.\u201d<\/p>\n
#Frankenpipelines #Trumps #bid #resurrect #Keystone #stretch #Dakota #Access #north<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Two of the most controversial pipeline projects this century\u2014the failed Keystone XL project and the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[245],"tags":[2275,2329,3342,517,11887,518,11883,11885,11882,2520,11884,11886,1983],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6197"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6197"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6197\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stock999.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}