File #13547 | Emerald Oil Inc. (as of September 2, 2014) | McKenzie County
API
33-053-02436
Target Formation
Bakken
Permit Explained
Partially
Permit Cycle Assessment
The permit file contains contemporaneous documentation of operator transfer (Liberty Resources to Emerald Oil Inc., effective September 2, 2014) and purchaser/transporter authorizations (September 1, 2014 and November 1, 2014). These administrative actions directly address operational continuity and compliance with North Dakota oil and gas regulations regarding first purchaser and transporter designations. However, the file does not contain an explicit permit approval letter, permit modification notice, or regulatory correspondence specifically explaining the basis for any new permit action dated in early 2015. The documents present are ancillary to permit operations rather than explanatory of a specific permit issuance or modification decision.
Permit Cycle Signals (3)
Authorization to Purchase and Transport Oil - Form 8 approved effective November 1, 2014, transferring purchaser/transporter from Plains Marketing to Bridger Marketing and Bridger Transportation (2015-01-05)
Authorization executed contemporaneously with permit approval cycle; establishes first purchaser and transporter changes required for continued production operability
Operator change from Liberty Resources Management Company LLC to Emerald Oil Inc. approved September 2, 2014, via Form 15 Notice of Transfer (2014-09-02)
Operator transfer completed one month before new permit approval; establishes Emerald Oil Inc. as responsible operator for this permit action
Authorization to Purchase and Transport Oil approved effective September 1, 2014, with Plains Marketing L.P. and Plains Marketing L.P. (transporter), updated from prior arrangements (2014-09-01)
Effective September 1, 2014; represents interim purchaser/transporter authorization immediately preceding the Bridger Marketing/Transportation authorization dated November 1, 2014
Historical Non-Routine Signals (3)
2009 spill incident (October 23, 2009): 1 barrel oil released, contained within dike, caused by stuffing box leak from vandalism; fully recovered and remediated (2009-10-23)
Establishes historical incident record for well; may condition future operational oversight, inspection frequency, or monitoring requirements. Environmental remediation history affects baseline site condition assessment.
May 2007 field inspection letter from NDIC noting compliance deficiencies at well site (CINNAMON CREEK STATE 12-8H, file 13547): instruction to clean up oil around wellhead and increase dikes, keep flare lit, and clean up oil-saturated soil within dike (2007-05-10)
Demonstrates persistent compliance issues with site maintenance, dike integrity, and environmental controls. Establishes baseline regulatory expectations for equipment condition and spill containment that carry forward to all subsequent operators.
Horizontal well completion with coil tubing cleanout lateral operations (February 17–20, 1995) under Meridian Oil Inc.; well drilled to 13,135 MD with Bakken Pool production target; multiple operator transitions 1993–2014 (1995-02-20)
Establishes well geometry, completion design, and productive formation (Bakken). Multiple operator changes (St. Mary Land & Exploration → Sequel Energy → Liberty Resources → Emerald Oil) create chain of custody and compliance obligations. Each operator transition required bond coverage and authorization renewals, creating operational continuity requirements that persist and condition future permit actions.
Historical Operator Profile
Total Wells:N/A
Active Wells:N/A
Notable Patterns:None identified
Confidence Assessment
Level: Low Rationale: The file contains extensive historical documentation (spanning 1993–2015) but lacks a clearly dated, explicit permit approval or modification document for a specific 2015 permit action. The latest explicit approval date visible in the file is 'FER 23, 2015' (February 23, 2015) on the Authorization to Purchase and Transport Oil form, which is an ancillary operational document, not a primary permit approval. No permit modification letter, order, or approval notice specifically explaining a new permit issuance or amendment in early 2015 is present in the extracted text. The operator change (September 2, 2014) and purchaser/transporter authorizations (September 1 and November 1, 2014) are temporally proximate to the February 2015 approval date but do not explicitly reference or explain a 'new' permit. Without a permit modification notice or explicit regulatory correspondence tied to a 2015 permit event, the analysis is limited to inferred support from administrative actions rather than direct documentary explanation.