McKenzie County produced 80 signed orders over the trailing 90 days, the highest of any county in the basin and well ahead of Williams (74) and Divide (61). Active operators in the county this period include Burlington Resources Oil & Gas Co. LP, Phoenix Operating LLC, White Rock Oil & Gas LLC, and Hess Bakken Investments II, LLC — a roster that spans majors and independents alike. The breadth of that operator mix suggests McKenzie's regulatory pipeline is structural, not driven by a single campaign. With 129 hearings scheduled over the next 30 days across all counties, the commission's workload shows no sign of easing even as order output in specific categories softens.
Only 3 pooling orders were signed during the August 20–27 window, against a trailing weekly average of 10.1 — a 70.3% decline. That drop is notable because pooling orders are a leading indicator of near-term drilling commitment: they compel non-consenting mineral owners into a spacing unit and typically precede well authorization filings by weeks to months. A single-week trough can reflect scheduling gaps rather than a strategic pullback, but a sustained decline at this magnitude would compress the authorization pipeline into late 2026. The August 27 docket includes pooling hearings for Silver Hill Energy Operating in both Williams (case 33129) and Burke (case 33130), as well as two EOG Resources pooling cases in Mountrail (cases 33133 and 33134), all carrying a 100% probability of progress — suggesting the metric may partially recover in next week's count.
Valkyrie Operating, LLC enters the August 27 docket with a spacing unit case (case 32951) in Divide County covering 10 wells — the largest single well-count item on today's agenda. The company carries a 100% historical win rate across its docket, an average approval probability of 98%, and 5 pending cases with 4 rated high-probability. Its ramp score of 63.8 is the highest among tracked operators this week. Valkyrie has 60 wells already authorized in Divide County, so a favorable ruling today would extend what is already the operator's most concentrated footprint. The case's 100% probability of progress makes it the clearest near-term authorization catalyst in the county.
Three saltwater disposal authorizations were signed for Divide County during the window — for Phoenix Operating (order 35830, Daneville Field), Formentera Operations (order 35908, Noonan Field), and KODA Resources Operating (order 36029, Daneville Field), all dated August 21. A pooling order for KODA in the Fertile Valley-Bakken Pool (order 35904) was signed August 26. The clustering of SWD authorizations in a single county over a single day points to rising produced-water volumes that operators are racing to manage ahead of additional well completions. Divide logged 61 signed orders over the trailing 90 days, third in the basin, and its operator list — which includes Continental Resources, Formentera, Murex Petroleum, Hunt Oil, and KODA — reflects a competitive acreage environment.
Among operators with material pending dockets, Petro-Hunt, L.L.C. and SOGC, LLC stand out for approval certainty. Petro-Hunt has 10 pending cases, all 10 rated high-probability, with an average approval probability of 100% and a 90% historical win rate across Divide and McKenzie counties. SOGC similarly has 6 pending cases, all 6 high-probability, with an average probability of 99.9% and an 85% win rate, concentrated in McKenzie. SOGC already received two signed orders this window — a field rules amendment covering the Sanish-Bakken and Alger-Bakken pools (order 35866) and a pooling order for the Sanish-Bakken Pool (order 35882), both in Mountrail County on August 21. Phoenix Operating presents a contrasting profile: 19 pending cases across five counties but only 9 rated high-probability and an average approval probability of 75%, reflecting more contested or complex filings in its pipeline.
The Industrial Commission signed 12 distinct orders during the August 20–27 window, bringing the 90-day total to 293. There are 129 pending docket cases with hearings scheduled, all falling within the next 30 days — an unusually concentrated forward calendar. Williams County's 74 signed orders over 90 days place it second behind McKenzie, with active operators including Continental Resources, Phoenix Operating, Oasis Petroleum North America, Whiting Oil and Gas, and Enerplus Resources. Mountrail (40 signed orders) and Burke (8) round out the tracked counties, with Burke and Dunn each at 8 — the lowest volumes in the basin and a reminder that regulatory activity remains heavily concentrated in the Williston Basin's northwestern core.