TOP GUN 30-19-18-7 3HF - Intelligence Brief

Phoenix Operating LLC · Divide County, ND · File #43356 · Generated 2026-10-07 05:14

📊 Signals (3)

Tier	Signal	Date	Service Impact
Tier 3	NDIC Permitting Engineer flagged that the permit's spacing unit may be subject to a Federal (BLM) permit, instructing the operator to contact the BLM Dickinson office.⏰ TIME-SENSITIVE 📄 Email from Nathaniel Erbele dated September 22, 2026 Introduces a potential federal permitting overlay not evident from the state permit alone, adding a layer of regulatory complexity and a required action for the operator.	2026-09-22	General Oilfield Services
Tier 3	Operator proactively sought and justified a waiver from NDIC Order 31848 for eight wells to enter the Bakken formation outside their target spacing units from a common pad.⏰ TIME-SENSITIVE 📄 Letter from Meaghan Coughlan dated September 9th, 2026 The waiver request is a specific regulatory hurdle cleared prior to operations, confirming pad-scale development intent and revealing a planned operational pattern that deviates from standard spacing.	2026-09-09	Regulatory / Permitting
Tier 3	Operator pre-selected a licensed disposal facility for all drill cuttings: Smoky Butte Environmental LLC. 📄 Proposed Work - Disposal of Drill Cuttings section The vendor is explicitly named in the approved drilling plan, indicating a contracted service rather than a routine, post-spud selection.	Unknown	General Oilfield Services

Tier

Signal

Date

Service Impact

Tier 3

NDIC Permitting Engineer flagged that the permit's spacing unit may be subject to a Federal (BLM) permit, instructing the operator to contact the BLM Dickinson office.⏰ TIME-SENSITIVE
📄 Email from Nathaniel Erbele dated September 22, 2026
Introduces a potential federal permitting overlay not evident from the state permit alone, adding a layer of regulatory complexity and a required action for the operator.

2026-09-22

General Oilfield Services

Tier 3

Operator proactively sought and justified a waiver from NDIC Order 31848 for eight wells to enter the Bakken formation outside their target spacing units from a common pad.⏰ TIME-SENSITIVE
📄 Letter from Meaghan Coughlan dated September 9th, 2026
The waiver request is a specific regulatory hurdle cleared prior to operations, confirming pad-scale development intent and revealing a planned operational pattern that deviates from standard spacing.

2026-09-09

Regulatory / Permitting

Tier 3

Operator pre-selected a licensed disposal facility for all drill cuttings: Smoky Butte Environmental LLC.
📄 Proposed Work - Disposal of Drill Cuttings section
The vendor is explicitly named in the approved drilling plan, indicating a contracted service rather than a routine, post-spud selection.

Unknown

General Oilfield Services

💡 Operator Intent

To drill multiple wells from a single pad, including wells that will enter the target formation outside their designated spacing unit, requiring a regulatory waiver.

Phoenix Operating is proposing to horizontally drill the MAVERICK 6-7-18 1H, 2H, 3H, 4H, & TOP GUN 30-19-18-7 1HF, 2HF, 3HF, and 4HF wells from a pad... The wells are proposed to enter the Bakken Petroleum System outside the target spacing unit.

To utilize a specific completion technique involving a wet shoe designed to be fractured out.

The north setback is based on a production liner cemented in the lateral with a wet shoe and the ability to frac out the shoe.

🔧 Service Operator Relevance

Drilling & Completions Engineering

The approved plan details a specific wet shoe completion design and a complex cementing program for a long lateral, indicating need for precise execution services.

Waste Hauling & Disposal

A specific disposal contractor (Smoky Butte Environmental LLC) is named in the permit, indicating this service is already secured for the imminent drilling operation.

Surveying & Pad Construction

Detailed pad layout and earthwork plans from Uintah Engineering are included, suggesting recent or ongoing site preparation work for the multi-well pad.

🛢️ TOP GUN 30-19-18-7 3HF

📊 Signals (3)

💡 Operator Intent

🔧 Service Operator Relevance