🛢️ OLSON 147-97-34-27-9H-ELL

Enerplus Resources USA Corporation · Dunn County, ND · File #40784 · Generated 2026-02-13 12:33

API: 3302504900
Target Formation: Middle Bakken
Permit Explained: Yes

📋 Permit Cycle Assessment

The well file contains sufficient contemporaneous documentation to explain the permit approval. The original permit was issued 05/24/2024 (APD Form 40784) with standard Bakken spacing unit stipulations and technical conditions (setbacks, closed mud system, remote shutoff devices, pre-frac notice to Continental Resources). Two material permit-cycle events post-issuance are documented: (1) A 9-day suspension 05/31/2024–08/09/2024 due to Burlington Resources' revocation petition, lifted upon case dismissal 07/18/2024 and formally reinstated 08/09/2024; (2) Three technical waivers received/approved July 2024 (open hole log waiver, survey frequency waiver, and SOD approval 10/16/2024 effective) addressing well-specific geometry constraints and drilling logistics. Most critically, a non-routine completion design condition—the wet shoe configuration with mandatory 150' toe setback and 9845' North legal coordinate ceiling—was imposed via Sundry 198808 (approved 03/26/2025, applied retroactively to address completed operations). This setback directly resulted from regulator risk assessment of the uncemented annulus design. All signals reflect the iterative engineering-to-regulatory feedback loop typical of horizontal Bakken development. The permit-cycle explanation is complete and grounded in regulatory orders (direct) and supporting technical justifications (waivers).

🔍 Permit Cycle Signals (5)

Wet shoe completion design with 150' toe setback requirement

Direct

📄 Sundry Form 198808, Page 2-3 (Reviewer Comments & Description)
📅 2025-03-26 (Exact confidence)

The reviewer imposed a 150' setback at the toe (MD 22682) with maximum legal coordinate constraint of 9845' North. This non-routine geometry constraint directly conditioned permit approval and reflects regulatory concern over the wet shoe design (400' uncemented annulus at toe) and its implications for zonal isolation and fracture initiation.

Directional survey frequency waiver approval with relaxed 90-foot lateral interval requirement

Supporting

📄 Sundry Form 198547, Page 1-2 (Description & Reviewer Comments)
📅 2024-07-24 (Exact confidence)

Waiver granted to relax survey frequency from 30-foot standard to 45-foot build-section and 90-foot lateral intervals, justified by operator's use of 5-inch Range III (Super Single) drill pipe in 45-foot lengths. Waiver received (not explicitly approved in comments) and reflects accommodation of drilling design geometry tied to equipment constraints.

Open hole log waiver approval with documented offset well (OLSON 34-1H) and alternative logging plan

Direct

📄 Sundry Form 198504, Page 1-2 (Description & Reviewer Comments)
📅 2024-07-24 (Exact confidence)

Waiver approved to run reduced open-hole log suite (Gamma Ray KOP-to-surface + cement bond log on 7" + mud log) in lieu of full porosity/resistivity logging. Justified by proximity of OLSON 34-1H (within 1 mile) with existing Lodgepole-through-surface GR-AIT log data. Conditional approval shows regulator accepted log-sharing rationale specific to this well geometry.

Suspension of drilling (SOD) approved for 90-day phased drilling strategy using small rig then conventional rig

Direct

📄 Sundry Form 198638, Page 1-2 (Description & Reviewer Comments)
📅 2024-10-16 (Exact confidence)

SOD approved effective 10/16/2024 (pre-spud 7/26/2024). Operator stated freshwater-based mud with small drilling rig for surface casing only (3–5 days), then conventional rotary within 90 days. Reviewer required field inspector notification when rotary moved back on; SOD reflects operational logistics directly impacting permit compliance window and casing-setting authority.

Permit suspension lifted; Burlington Resources revocation case dismissed 7/18/2024

Direct

📄 Letter from T. Holweger (ND DMR) dated 8/9/2024; Prior suspension letter 5/31/2024
📅 2024-08-09 (Exact confidence)

Permit suspended 5/31/2024 pending Burlington Resources Oil & Gas LP revocation hearing on 7/2024 docket. Burlington dismissed case 7/18/2024; permit reinstated 8/9/2024 for immediate operations. This removes a material legal impediment to drilling and directly explains the operational window between permit issuance (5/24/2024), suspension (5/31/2024), reinstatement (8/9/2024), and spud (7/26/2024 per operations notice). The reinstatement letter is the permit-cycle authorization signal.

📖 Historical Context (4)

Continental Resources Fuller Federal 2-2HSL1 (File 38368) adjacency constraint and 21–31-day pre-frac notice requirement at 2,640' separation
📄 APD Form, Page 2 (Permit Review Policy & Conditions of Approval) · 📅 2024-05-24
The well is subject to an ongoing obligation under NDAC 43-02-03-28 and Commission-imposed conditions to provide 21–31 days' written pre-frac notice to Continental Resources if completion intervals fall within 2,640 feet of one another. The APD documents indicate Fuller Federal well is in close proximity. This constraint persists for any future recompletion or frac operation and is enforceable by the regulator; operator must maintain contact records and documented notices.

Operator certification of core and sample submission within regulatory timeline (Base Last Salt to TD; 30-day samples, 180-day cores)
📄 Letter from Ross Edison (State Geologist), dated 05/28/2024 · 📅 2024-05-28
North Dakota Century Code §38-08-04 and NDAC §43-02-03-38.1 impose strict preservation and shipment obligations. Operator must submit all drill cuttings (30' maximum intervals in vertical/build, 200' maximum in lateral) and any cores to the ND Geological Survey Core Library (Grand Forks) within 30 days (samples) and 180 days (cores) of completion. Violation carries up to $12,500 per day penalty. Operator bore responsibility for samples collected at rig starting Base Last Salt; completion 06/27/2025 triggered 30-day sample deadline and 180-day core deadline. This is an ongoing compliance obligation with archival and state record-keeping implications.

Filter sock/filter media disposal container requirement (leakproof, covered, placarded) effective ongoing from spud through flowback
📄 Letter from ND DMR dated 08/28/2023 (Filter Socks directive); APD Form Page 9 (Operator Assertions) · 📅 2023-08-28
NDAC §43-02-03-19.2 and effective 06/01/2014 policy require operator to maintain a covered, leakproof, placarded container on-site for spent filter media from spud date through completion and flowback whenever filtration systems are in use. Waste Management permit required for any transporter per §33-20-02.1-01. This is an ongoing waste management obligation and site housekeeping requirement during all phases of operations (drilling, completion, flowback).

Bakken petroleum system pool definition per Commission Order 33255: interval from 200' above Bakken top to above Birdbear Formation
📄 APD Form, Page 1 (Stipulations—NDIC Field Order Info) · 📅 2024-05-24
Commission Order 33255 defines the Little Knife-Bakken Pool regulatory footprint. This definition applies to any future spacing unit disputes, unitization challenges, or commingling claims within this field. The pool definition is the jurisdictional baseline for all subsequent regulatory action and royalty accounting.

🔧 Operator Pattern

Enerplus demonstrates systematic adherence to technical compliance frameworks with strategic request for non-routine design accommodations (waivers) and timely coordination with adjacent operators and regulators.
Operator submitted three targeted waivers (open hole logs, survey frequency, SOD) with technical justifications tied to specific well geometry (Super Single drill pipe 45-foot stands) and drilling logistics (phased small-rig/conventional-rig approach). Operator furnished directional drilling and completion plans to adjacent operator (Continental Resources) per sworn affidavit 03/23/2024, satisfying pre-frac collaboration mandate. Operator provided gas capture plan to Oneok Rockies Midstream LLC and notified midstream of completion/production dates, demonstrating supply-chain transparency. Operator acknowledged all log submission (digital TIFF/LAS), filter sock container, and anti-collision protocols in APD Form operator assertions. No violations or prior infractions documented in file. Operator also addressed well name correction internally (05/24/2024, Sundry 188418) without external prompting. This pattern suggests a procedurally mature operator managing regulatory obligations proactively while seeking technical relief only where operationally necessary.

Confidence: High
The file contains a complete chronological record of permit issuance (05/24/2024 APD), suspension (05/31/2024), reinstatement (08/09/2024), three technical waivers (07/2024), operational notifications (spud 07/26/2024, completion 06/27/2025), and completion/plugging reports with survey data and test results (all dated and approved 07/15/2025). The wet shoe completion condition (Sundry 198808, effective 03/26/2025) was explicitly approved by a petroleum engineer reviewer and imposed a non-standard toe setback, demonstrating regulatory engagement with design risk. All documents are signed, dated, and traced to named NDIC staff (Permit Manager, Engineering Technicians, Petroleum Engineers, Geologists). The permit-cycle signals are directly sourced from regulatory order letters (reinstatement), approved sundries with reviewer comments, and incorporated APD stipulations. No material gaps in the permit-cycle narrative exist; the file fully explains the approval decision and its conditions. Historical signals are drawn from authoritative legal and policy documents (Century Code, NDAC, Commission Orders, State Geologist letters) with prospective compliance implications documented.