🛢️ Skaar 15-22 6H

Devon Energy Williston, LLC (transferred from Grayson Mill Operating, LLC) · McKenzie County, ND · File #40623 · Generated 2026-02-13 12:33

API: 3305310230
Target Formation: Middle Bakken
Permit Explained: Yes

📋 Permit Cycle Assessment

Contemporaneous documentation clearly explains the permit approval and conditions. The new permit (issued 04/01/2024, File 40623) is justified and conditioned by: (1) operative APD stipulations from Commission Order No. 32902 (150' north/south and 500' east/west setbacks within 1,280-acre spacing unit, production liner cemented with wet shoe and frac-out capability); (2) regulatory waivers for suspension of drilling (90 days, two-rig program approved 04/23/2024) and tubing/packer exemption (approved 05/02/2024 with specific casing, safety factor, and monitoring assurances); (3) operator transfer to Devon Energy Williston, LLC effective 10/31/2025 under existing Bond CMS0358791; (4) completion of MWD survey and well drilling to TD 21,672' MD (07/23/2025) demonstrating compliance with target geometry and formation isolation requirements. All major non-routine permit actions (waivers, setback geometry, completion design) have explicit regulatory approval and are tied to operator-submitted technical justifications and engineering commitments. The well file documents adherence to permitted drilling plan and lateral landing within specified Middle Bakken target window.

🔍 Permit Cycle Signals (5)

Operator transfer from Grayson Mill Operating, LLC to Devon Energy Williston, LLC approved via Form 15 (Notice of Transfer of Oil and Gas Wells)

Direct

📄 Form 15 approval letter dated October 31, 2025; Executed Notice of Transfer document dated 11/18/2024
📅 2025-10-31 (Exact confidence)

Anchors permit approval to specific operator entity (Devon Energy) responsible for compliance and operations under Bond No. CMS0358791 effective with transfer.

MWD Survey Certification completed and certified by Logan Hulse (Total Directional Services, LLC); survey period 06/08/2025 to 07/23/2025 at 21,672 measured depth.

Supporting

📄 MWD Survey Certification header; Directional Survey Report dated 07/23/2025
📅 2025-07-23 (Exact confidence)

Confirms well drilling completion and validates wellbore geometry within permitted drilling unit setback (150' south setback per Order No. 32902 stipulation). Survey data confirms lateral stay within Middle Bakken target zone.

Spud Date: 06/08/2025 (Notification of Work Performed, Form ID 252385); Well reached TD 21,672' MD on 07/23/2025 in Middle Bakken at 11,097.95' TVD projected.

Supporting

📄 Well Sundry Form - Notification of Work Performed (06/09/2025 received); Wellsite Geologist Report, Geological Summary section
📅 2025-06-08 (Exact confidence)

Establishes actual well drilling timeline and confirms target interval achieved. Documents compliance with permitted APD specifications (KOP 10,810' MD, curve design, lateral landing in Middle Bakken center ±23' of TVD target 11,087').

Tubing/Packer Waiver approved 05/02/2024 (Form ID 182159) with specific assurances: new 29# and 32# casing with API burst rating 11,220 psi; safety factor 0.85; damage detection via monitoring; 300# gauge during flowback.

Direct

📄 Well Sundry Form - Request for Consideration/Waiver (Casing/Cement), dated 04/29/2024, approved 05/02/2024
📅 2024-05-02 (Exact confidence)

Non-routine waiver conditioning completion design and flowback operations. Regulatory approval explicitly binds operator to stated protective measures during production phase; directly justified by operator engineering and monitoring commitments.

Suspension of Drilling waiver approved 04/23/2024 (Form ID 178481) for 90-day period to facilitate small rig surface hole drilling and casing set, then larger rig mobilization for vertical and lateral sections.

Direct

📄 Well Sundry Form - Request for Consideration/Waiver (Well Operations), dated 04/08/2024, approved 04/23/2024
📅 2024-04-23 (Exact confidence)

Permits cost/schedule optimization via two-rig program. Reviewer comment requires operator call immediately after spud and when plug bumped, and when conventional rig returns—establishes ongoing regulator notification protocol during permit execution.

📖 Historical Context (4)

Open Hole Log waiver granted 04/10/2024 (Form ID 178463) via reference well NDIC File #21394 (Olga 150-99-15-22-1H), waiving requirement for open hole logs and substituting offset well logs for formation top correlation; GR-CBL to be run TD to ground level.
📄 Well Sundry Form - Request for Consideration/Waiver (Logs & Testing), dated 04/08/2024, approved 04/10/2024 · 📅 Unknown
Establishes baseline logging obligation waived during drilling phase. Forward implication: operator remains subject to standard log requirements if well is re-entered, sidetracked, or re-completed; referenced offset well data (Olga well) is the controlling formation top documentation for this wellbore and must be available for future regulatory review or disputes.

Filter Sock Container waiver approved 04/18/2024 (Form ID 178484): operator exempted from maintaining filter media container per NDAC 43-02-03-19.2 because Grayson Mill does not use filter media during drilling phase.
📄 Well Sundry Form - Request for Consideration/Waiver (Well Operations), dated 04/08/2024, approved 04/18/2024 · 📅 Unknown
Non-routine exemption tied to operator's stated practice. Waiver is limited to 'drilling phase only,' implying container requirement reinstated at completion phase. If operator changes waste management practices or uses filter media in future operations on this well, waiver becomes void and container must be deployed.

Cores and Samples letter (dated 04/01/2024) requires samples collection at 30' intervals (vertical/build sections) and 200' intervals (horizontal section) starting at Base of Last Charles Salt; all samples to be submitted to ND Geological Survey within 30 days of drilling completion.
📄 Letter from Richard A. Suggs, Geologist, ND Department of Mineral Resources, dated 04/01/2024 · 📅 Unknown
Standing obligation under NDCC § 38-08-04 and NDAC 43-02-03-38.1. Operator (now Devon Energy) must forward all sample boxes to ND Geological Survey Core Library, Grand Forks, within 30 days of 07/23/2025 completion (deadline approximately 08/23/2025). Non-compliance carries civil penalty up to $12,500 per violation per day.

South Tobacco Garden-Bakken Pool definition (Commission Order No. 32902 stipulation): defined as accumulation from 50' above top of Bakken to 50' below top of Three Forks Formation. Well stratification must honor this vertical interval delineation for spacing unit and commingling determinations.
📄 APD Permit Stipulations section (Commission Order No. 32902) · 📅 Unknown
Establishes regulatory formation boundaries for this well in perpetuity. Affects future drilling unit adjustments, commingling applications, and secondary recovery operations. Any proposed deviation from defined pool interval requires regulatory approval.

🔧 Operator Pattern

Grayson Mill Operating, LLC (original operator) filed multiple coordinated waivers and requests (04/08/2024) for novel operational accommodations: two-rig drilling program (suspension of drilling), tubing/packer exemption, filter sock waiver, and open hole log waiver. Pattern reflects deliberate cost/schedule optimization strategy (small rig for surface, larger rig for build and lateral) combined with acceptance of regulatory risk via justified waivers. All waivers granted within 2-week approval window (04/10–04/23/2024), indicating operator pre-coordination with regulators and strong technical justification. Well filed contemporaneously (06/08/2025) and drilled to completion within 13-day window (06/08–07/23/2025), suggesting operationally efficient execution matching permit design.
Permit file shows: (1) Suspension of Drilling waiver approved 04/23/2024 with specific reviewer instruction (Dan Kuchar) to require operator calls at defined milestones; (2) Tubing/Packer waiver approved 05/02/2024 with engineer signature (Stephen Fried); (3) Four separate Form 4 sundries all dated 04/08/2024 received date, indicating coordinated submission; (4) MWD survey completion 07/23/2025 with certified directional data showing lateral maintained 100% in Middle Bakken target zone and 68% in target window center, demonstrating drilling discipline; (5) Operator transfer to Devon Energy Williston, LLC completed 10/31/2025 under same bond (CMS0358791, RLI Insurance), continuity of operations intact.

Confidence: High
Well file is comprehensive and internally consistent. Permit was issued 04/01/2024 (File 40623) with clear stipulations tied to Commission Order No. 32902. All major permit-cycle signals (waivers, operator transfer, well drilling completion) are documented with exact dates, regulatory approvals, and technical supporting materials (APD, wellbore design, MWD survey, geologic report, H2S mitigation plan). No conflicting documentation or missing material approvals identified. Contemporaneous explanation of permit approval is robust: the permit's approval conditions directly reference operator-submitted justifications (casing specifications, safety factors, monitoring protocols, two-rig program logistics) and regulator approvals are documented in executed Form 4 sundries. The well reached TD on 07/23/2025 within the Middle Bakken target zone (11,087' TVD), confirming compliance with drilling geometry stipulations. Operator transfer to Devon Energy Williston, LLC (effective 10/31/2025) is properly bonded and documented. Historical context (waivers, pool definition, sampling obligations) is clear and non-routine where applicable. No ambiguity regarding which permit is 'the new permit' being analyzed—it is File 40623, issued 04/01/2024 as an 'Application for Permit for New Well - Horizontal Oil & Gas.'