Bayou Midstream: Bakken Build & 2024 Exit to Bridger

Editor’s note (March 2026): The original Bayou Midstream entity (Bayou I) sold its Bakken operating subsidiaries to Bridger Pipeline LLC in May 2024. The bayoumidstream.com website and the Bayou Midstream name are now associated with Bayou Midstream II, LLC — a successor entity formed in September 2024 under the same leadership team with a fresh EIV Capital equity commitment. This article covers the full history of both entities.

Bayou Midstream was founded in 2018 in Houston, Texas, as a crude oil gathering and midstream infrastructure operator focused on the western Bakken. Backed by EIV Capital from formation, the company built a system that reached 55,000 barrels of crude oil per day throughput and 675,000 barrels of total storage capacity across terminals in Montana and North Dakota. In May 2024, Bayou Midstream completed the sale of its operating subsidiaries to Bridger Pipeline LLC, concluding a six-year build-and-exit cycle. Bayou Midstream II subsequently launched in September 2024 under the same leadership team to pursue midstream acquisitions and development across North America.

Bayou Midstream Company Overview

Bayou Midstream LLC — referred to as Bayou I — was formed in 2018 as a partnership between EIV Capital and the management team led by CEO Travis Roby and CFO Ross Lairson. EIV Capital is a Houston-based private equity firm founded in 2009, focused on growth equity investments in North American energy infrastructure.

The company’s operating focus was the western Bakken shale region, covering McKenzie County, North Dakota and Richland County, Montana. Bayou I raised $75 million over its operating life and grew its asset base through a combination of greenfield development, organic growth, and strategic acquisitions — including the purchase of NorthStar Midstream’s Bakken assets. The acquisition of NorthStar’s crude gathering infrastructure added DAPL-connected pipeline capacity and terminal storage to Bayou’s existing gathering system, expanding its western Bakken footprint in 2022.

Key Assets and Pipeline Network

At the point of its 2024 sale to Bridger Pipeline, Bayou Midstream operated a fully integrated Bakken midstream system comprising gathering pipelines, transportation pipelines, crude storage terminals, and a frac sand transloading facility.

The Leviathan Crude Gathering System formed the backbone of Bayou’s producer-facing gathering operations. The Fairview Connector Pipeline linked the crude gathering system in Richland County, Montana to the East Fairview terminal in North Dakota. The Alexander Connector Pipeline connected both terminals to the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), providing market access for gathered crude.

Terminal storage across the two facilities totalled 675,000 barrels. The East Fairview terminal in Montana held 515,000 barrels of crude storage capacity with 14 truck LACTs and 20 rail car loading bays. The Alexander terminal in North Dakota held 160,000 barrels with 7 truck LACTs and inbound pipeline connections from the Caliber, Grayson Mill, and Hiland systems. A frac sand transloading facility at East Fairview, North Dakota, operated an automated high-speed transloading system with 9 silos. At exit, the system was processing approximately 45,000 tons of sand per month alongside the crude throughput — a profile consistent with the integrated service model that leading North American midstream operators use to deepen producer relationships in active shale plays.

The 2024 Sale to Bridger Pipeline

On 7 May 2024, Bayou Midstream LLC and EIV Capital completed the sale of Bayou’s operating subsidiaries to Bridger Pipeline LLC, headquartered in Casper, Wyoming. Financial terms were not disclosed. Intrepid Partners served as exclusive financial advisor to Bayou; McDermott Will & Emery provided legal counsel.

Bridger Pipeline’s Executive Partner Tad True confirmed the strategic rationale at announcement: the acquired pipelines, terminals, and sand facilities sat directly within Bridger’s existing operating region, enabling the company to better serve producers developing resources in the western Bakken.

Travis Roby, CEO of Bayou Midstream, said at closing: “This transaction represents the culmination of hard work and dedication by the Bayou team to deliver exceptional customer service and reliability to our partners through our midstream assets.” Co-founder and CFO Ross Lairson added: “Bayou strategically built the business to service the growing western Bakken market through a challenging market backdrop and greatly appreciates all stakeholders for buying into that vision.”

The transaction followed a pattern visible across the Bakken midstream sector — private equity-backed operators building focused infrastructure packages and exiting to larger platform buyers. The Plains All American acquisition of EPIC Pipeline for $2.9 billion in 2025 reflects the same consolidation dynamic at greater scale.

Bayou Midstream II: The Successor Entity

In September 2024, Bayou Midstream II, LLC launched with a new equity commitment from EIV Capital — the second partnership between EIV and the Roby/Lairson team since 2018. Bayou II is headquartered in Houston and operates as an independent midstream company focused on acquisition, development, and operation of midstream infrastructure across North America, not limited to the Bakken.

Greg Davis, Partner at EIV Capital, confirmed the renewed partnership: “We have built a strong working relationship with Travis, Ross and the Bayou team since 2018 and look forward to supporting their efforts to acquire, develop and operate oil and gas midstream infrastructure assets.” Bayou II’s geographic mandate is broader than Bayou I’s Bakken focus, positioning the company to pursue midstream opportunities across multiple North American basins. For current services and project enquiries, contact Bayou Midstream directly.

Company Snapshot