The Bridger project is a massive oil pipeline project that would come in from Alberta, Canada, into Montana at Phillips County, then go through nine counties before getting to Wyoming.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) are reviewing the project, and it could cut across private, state, and federal land.

Watch Bridger pipeline story here:

Proposed Bridger pipeline would bring crude from Canada through Montana to Wyoming

The 647-mile-long Bridger pipeline would move up to 550,000 barrels of crude oil a day.

“It’s a win for Montana. It’s a win for America,” said Yellowstone County Commissioner Mark Morse.

Morse and the Yellowstone County commissioners are among the many Montana leaders supporting the project.

Just this week, they drafted a letter to the Bureau of Land Management expressing that support.

“The energy security is again, it’s going to be on the North American continent and transporting oil via a pipeline is safer than rail or truck,” Morse said.

Commissioners also say the pipeline would be an economic boost for Yellowstone County, bringing construction jobs, supply contracts, and local spending.

“We’ll be a hub for their construction activities,” Morse said. “Supplying parts and pieces, labor.”

But there are plenty of opponents.

They say the risks are simply too high, pointing to past oil spills, including the 2015 Poplar pipeline rupture that sent 30,000 gallons of crude oil into the Yellowstone River near Glendive and a diesel spill of 45,000 gallons near Sussex, Wyoming.

“If that crossing has spilled into the Missouri River, it eventually would make it to that intake,” said Lance Fourstar, co-director of the American Indian Movement Montana. “Highly carcinogenic tar sand bitumen, so we already know it’s highly carcinogenic.”

Fourstar also has concerns about sacred tribal lands.

“The key point of concern is the sovereignty and treaty rights,” Fourstar said. “This project crosses lands, that with treaty reserved rights, hunting, fishing, and gathering.”

The Montana Environmental Information Center (MEIC) says the pipeline would originate in Alberta with what it calls environmentally destructive fuel sources.

“It’s an environmental disaster waiting to happen in a state that gets a lot of revenue from fishing and agriculture. A majority of the route crosses through Montana, putting land and water at risk,” MEIC spokesperson Shannon James said in a telephone interview with MTN News.

But for Yellowstone County leaders like Morse, it’s a win-win, not just for Yellowstone County, but also the country.

“I just see energy independence for America,” Morse said.

MTN News contacted True Companies in Casper, which proposed the Bridger pipeline.

True and BLM were not available for interviews.

After getting shut out by Liberty on Tuesday, the Desert Oasis baseball team bounced back with an 11-4 victory Wednesday over the visiting Patriots.

With the win in the regular-season finale, the Diamondbacks secured the Desert League’s No. 2 seed in the 5A Southern Region playoffs, which start next week.

“All year, they’ve responded after we’ve lost games,” Desert Oasis coach Paul Buboltz said. “This is an experienced group of guys that are hungry, and they knew what was at stake today.”

The Diamondbacks (21-9-1, 6-4 Desert) didn’t waste any time getting on the scoreboard Wednesday. After Liberty (15-16, 5-5 Desert) jumped to a 1-0 lead in the first inning, Desert Oasis came out swinging.

Senior third baseman Brody Griffith got it started by driving home sophomore second baseman Jayson Marquez to tie the game. Then junior left fielder Ryan Roshak launched a fastball over the wall in right-center for a three-run homer, giving the Diamondbacks a lead they didn’t relinquish.

“That early momentum meant everything for the team,” Roshak said. “It takes a lot of pressure off the guys.”

The Desert Oasis bats made life easier for senior pitcher Crue Smith. After getting into early trouble, Smith kept a potent Patriots lineup at bay for most of the afternoon. The right-hander yielded four runs — one earned — on five hits and two walks while striking out three in 5⅓ innings.

“I think this win will boost our confidence and give us more motivation going into the playoffs,” Smith said.

The Diamondbacks continued to tack on early runs — three in the second inning, off a bases-loaded walk to senior center fielder Aidan Smith and two more on a single from senior designated hitter Ashton Kidd — to go up 7-1.

Liberty crept back into the game, thanks to solid relief pitching from senior Cayden Rodgers-Ramirez. The Patriots added two runs in the sixth, off RBI singles from Rodgers-Ramirez and senior Austin Pepe, to get within 8-4. But the Diamondbacks answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning.

Marquez went 2-for-4, driving in a run and scoring twice. Desert Oasis batters drew seven walks, including two each by senior catcher Landon O’Dell and freshman right fielder Sebastian Mansell.

Junior center fielder Nevan Chandler led Liberty’s offense, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs.

A federal grand jury in Lubbock has indicted 14 people accused of stealing crude oil in eastern New Mexico and hauling it into Texas to resell at cut‑rate prices.

Prosecutors say the scheme targeted the Permian Basin’s vast production network, the oil‑rich region spanning southeastern New Mexico and West Texas that covers more than 86,000 square miles and accounts for the majority of U.S. crude oil production.

All 14 defendants are charged with conspiracy to transport stolen property across state lines, and several also face counts of interstate transportation and receipt, possession, or sale of stolen property, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.

Indictment outlines alleged operation 

Returned April 8, the indictment alleges the group stole crude oil in eastern New Mexico, some stored on U.S. government-leased land, and resold it to co‑conspirators at prices below the standard U.S. market benchmark.

Prosecutors say the conspirators transported the stolen oil into Texas for resale at a profit, knowing it was stolen.

Texas, New Mexico defendants identified by prosecutors

Texas defendants are James Darrell Reid, 65, and Randell Wayne Reid, 41, owners of Texas-based Reidco Enterprises and both of Electra – about 25 miles northwest of Wichita Falls and 115 miles from Fort Worth – along with Christopher Frederick Harris, 22, of Seminole, about 80 miles west of Midland.

The remaining 11 defendants are from Lovington, a southeastern New Mexico community of about 11,690 people, roughly 20 miles west of the Texas state line and squarely inside the Permian Basin.

They include:

• Louis George Edgett, 68;
• Brenden Floyd Strickland, 25;
• Sixto Herrera-Estebane, 43;
• Gyardo Gonzalez, 47;
• Jesus Martin Hernandez-Borja, 51;
• Diana Marquez Rojo, 45;
• Jose Luis Rojo, 49;
• Jose Mario Rivas-Mendoza, 37;
• Miguel A. Soto, 41;
• Tavares Montrail Cole, 48; and
• Danny Dale Brown Jr., 42.

Potential penalties outlined by DOJ 

According to prosecutors, the defendants face up to five years in prison for conspiracy and up to 10 years per count for interstate transportation, possession, or sale of stolen property.

The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Land Management, the FBI, the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Criminal Investigation Division, and sheriff’s offices in Lea and Eddy counties in New Mexico.

CBS News Texas will provide updates as additional information becomes available.