File #41158 | Whiting Oil and Gas Corporation | McKenzie County
API
33-053-10386
Target Formation
Middle Bakken
Permit Explained
Yes
Permit Cycle Assessment
The permit approval dated 2024-09-19 is directly justified by four contemporaneous permit-cycle documents. (1) Commission Order No. 33461 provides the enabling regulatory framework with explicit setback, spacing unit, and casing/cementation conditions. (2) Open Hole Log Waiver (approved 2024-11-13) addresses a potential compliance gap by exempting the operator from standard logging requirements under documented proximity-to-offset justification, with mandated alternative logging (GR-CBL). (3) Drill-back notification (2024-07-30) demonstrates pre-approval compliance with NDIC Order No. 31848 regarding adjacent-unit notification. (4) Anti-collision certification (2024-07-17) provides technical justification for clearance to drill within a geometrically complex multi-well pad environment. The permit explicitly ties approval to production-liner wet-shoe configuration and frac-out capability, reflecting specific well-design constraints. BLM federal minerals coordination (flagged 2024-09-18) post-dates approval but was recognized as a potential downstream conditioning requirement. The well file contains sufficient contemporaneous technical and regulatory documentation to explain permit issuance.
Permit Cycle Signals (5)
Open Hole Log Waiver approved under NDIC Rule 43-02-03-31 (2024-11-13)
Waiver explicitly conditions drilling operations. Operator justified exemption by proximity to offset well Lassey-Monson 1 (within 1 mile) with sufficient formation tops already established. GR-CBL run from TD to ground level required as alternative logging method.
Commission Order No. 33461 approval with mandatory setback and spacing unit constraints (2024-09-19)
Order conditions approval on 150-foot setback from north/south boundaries and 1220-foot setback from east/west boundaries within 1920-acre spacing unit (Sections 20, 29, 32, T152N, R103W). Production liner cemented in lateral with wet shoe and frac-out capability explicitly required.
Federal minerals notification and BLM coordination required (2024-09-18)
Spacing unit determined to potentially involve federal mineral jurisdiction. BLM Dickinson office contact (701-227-7713) mandated for permit verification. Indicates federal permit pathway may condition or delay actual drilling commencement.
Drill-back notification under NDIC Order No. 31848 to adjacent operator Zavanna LLC (2024-07-30)
Operator required to notify and provide documentation to adjacent unit operator (Zavanna LLC) because proposed wellbore will drill back through adjacent acreage (151N 103W Secs 5). Proof of notification received 2024-07-30 at 12:16 PM. This regulatory obligation was fulfilled pre-permit approval.
Anti-collision analysis and separation factor certification (2024-07-17)
Operator certified compliance with industry-standard 1.2 separation safety factor for intermediate sections, real-time corrected surveys at 93-100 foot intervals, and gamma ray signature identification. Minimum separation factors against 18 offset wells evaluated and reported. All critical offsets maintain separation factors above 2.0 sigma warning levels.
Historical Non-Routine Signals (5)
Multi-well pad structure: Dobias 5203 44-32 2B is first of five planned wells on Dobias Pad (2B, 3B, 4B; Anderson 2B, 3B variants) (2024-06-25)
Pad design establishes spacing constraints, shared facility infrastructure, and sequential drilling order dependencies. Future wells on the pad will require anti-collision clearance relative to 2B wellbore trajectory. Cumulative containment, access road, and environmental compliance obligations persist across the entire pad development.
Wet-shoe production liner design with uncemented toe section (~400 feet) enabling pump-down perforating (2024-06-25)
This non-standard completion methodology creates persistent operational constraints: limits wireline perforating window, requires specific wiper-plug displacement protocol, mandates frac-out capability per Commission Order 33461, and establishes wellhead engineering specifications. Completion design is now fixed and affects all subsequent well operations (flow-back, production testing, stimulation).
H2S hazard zone mapping and Mission Canyon exposure identified in abnormal conditions statement (2024-06-25)
H2S presence in Mission Canyon Formation documented as anticipated hazard. Maps show 500 PPM ROE at 1373 feet and 100 PPM ROE at 3000 feet. This constraint persists through all drilling, completion, workover, and abandonment operations and requires ongoing monitoring protocols (gas detection equipment already deployed per Well Summary).
Setback exemption (Case No. 28949, Order No. 31500) for indirect heater placement within 60 feet of wellhead and 21 feet of oil tank (2024-06-25)
Non-standard facility setback waiver establishes permanent operational constraint on equipment spacing and maintenance access. Exemption is specific to indirect-heater design and does not apply to alternative facility configurations. Any future facility modification requires new NDIC approval.
Sample and core preservation obligations under North Dakota Century Code Section 38-08-04 and NDAC 43-02-03-38.1 (2024-09-23)
Regulatory obligation to submit all drill cuttings (30-foot intervals vertical/curve; 200-foot intervals lateral) and any cores to State Geological Survey Core Library in Grand Forks within 30 days post-drilling and 180 days post-core-cutting. Non-compliance carries civil penalty up to $12,500 per violation per day. Obligation binds operator through well abandonment lifecycle.
Historical Operator Profile
Total Wells:N/A
Active Wells:N/A
Notable Patterns:None identified
Confidence Assessment
Level: High Rationale: The file contains complete permit paperwork, signed approvals, contemporaneous technical submissions (drill plan, anti-collision report, directional survey certification, geological report), regulatory correspondence (NDIC letters, BLM notification), and affidavits of compliance. Key dates are explicit and cross-referenced. Commission Order No. 33461 and the 2024-09-19 approval date are unambiguous anchor points. The waiver request, drill-back notification, and anti-collision analysis are all document-native with internal consistency. The only significant gap is BLM federal minerals permit status (flagged but apparently not finalized as of file close), which does not invalidate the state-level NDIC permit explanation. OCR text quality is high with minimal corruption. Well geometry, directional targets, and formation tops are internally coherent across Drilling Plan, survey report, and geological log.