Authorizing Bakken Pipeline Company LP To Operate and Maintain Existing Pipeline Facilities at Burke County, North Dakota, at the International Boundary Between the United States and Canada
In Simple Terms
The order lets Bakken Pipeline keep running and caring for an oil pipeline that crosses the U.S.-Canada border in North Dakota. It also says the company must follow all safety and other laws, and the old 1996 permit is replaced.
Summary
President Donald Trump issued a presidential permit allowing Bakken Pipeline Company LP to continue operating and maintaining an existing 12-inch cross-border pipeline facility near Portal in Burke County, North Dakota, at the U.S.-Canada border. The permit covers the transport of crude oil and a wide range of petroleum products, and it replaces and revokes an earlier permit issued in 1996. It also makes clear that the pipeline remains subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws, including safety inspections, permitting requirements, and reporting obligations. The action was issued to formally authorize the company’s continued cross-border pipeline operations under updated permit terms and conditions set by the President.
Official Record
Federal Register PublishedApril 20, 2026
Document #2026-07717
Analysis & Impact
💡 How This May Affect You
- Working families may see steadier fuel supplies; nearby communities may worry about spill risks and emergency preparedness.
- Small businesses using fuel or shipping could benefit from reliable supply; compliance and cleanup costs remain with operator.
- Students and recent graduates may see limited direct effects, except possible local energy jobs and environmental safety concerns.
- Retirees and seniors could benefit if fuel availability stays stable; health and property concerns may rise near pipeline areas.
- Rural border areas may feel the biggest direct effects; urban and suburban regions mostly see indirect fuel supply impacts.
🏢 Key Stakeholders
- Bakken Pipeline Company LP and parent Enbridge benefit from continued cross-border operations.
- U.S. and Canadian crude producers, refiners, and fuel shippers gain transport flexibility.
- PHMSA, state and local permitting agencies face inspection, compliance, and oversight duties.
- Burke County residents, Tribal advocates, and environmental groups face spill-risk concerns.
- Pipeline safety, landowner, and environmental advocacy groups will scrutinize operations and enforcement.
📈 What to Expect
- Existing cross-border pipeline operations continue with updated federal authorization and compliance reporting.
- PHMSA, state, and local inspections likely verify maintenance, permits, and safety practices.
Throughput or product mix may shift within existing facility capabilities, without major construction.
Cross-border crude and refined products trade remains steadier under clearer permit status.
Future ownership or control changes trigger notifications, but operations likely continue uninterrupted.
Environmental and safety compliance costs persist, with enforcement risk if incidents occur.
📚 Historical Context
- Continues the long presidential-permit tradition for cross-border pipelines used by multiple presidents since the 1960s.
- Most directly updates Clinton’s 1996 permit, building on rather than creating a new border crossing.
- Unlike Obama’s 2015 Keystone XL denial or Trump’s 2019 approval, this concerns existing facilities, not expansion.
- Echoes Trump’s 2019 Executive Order centralizing permit authority in the presidency, not State Department review.
- Historically notable for allowing throughput and flow-direction changes without new permits, a flexible modernization of prior practice.