🛢️ Jefferson Federal 5003 42-14 10BX

Whiting Oil and Gas Corporation · McKenzie County, North Dakota County, ND · File #41440 · Generated 2026-02-13 12:33

API: 3305310466
Target Formation: Middle Bakken
Permit Explained: Yes

📋 Permit Cycle Assessment

The well file contains robust contemporaneous documentation that explains and justifies the permit approval (Commission Order No. 34297, referenced in the Permit Modification application). The primary regulatory signal is the explicit order granting horizontal drilling approval with defined wellbore constraints (500' corridor, 150' setbacks, north-south axis) within the 3840-acre spacing unit. The permit's approval is further conditioned on a specific wet shoe casing design (production liner cemented with over-displacement) to enable the approved setback configuration. Supporting permit-cycle documents include: (1) the approved Open Hole Log Waiver (05/20/2025) justified by offset well correlation; (2) the Anticollision Report (07/16/2025) demonstrating separation safety from nine offset wells on the shared pad; and (3) detailed casing/cementing specifications that implement the regulatory setback and wet shoe conditions. All permitting signals are time-bound to the permit cycle and directly explain the operational constraints and technical requirements imposed by the regulator. No contemporaneous explanation is absent.

🔍 Permit Cycle Signals (5)

Commission Order No. 34297 – Horizontal drilling approval with 500' drilling corridor constraint and 150' setback from north/south boundaries within 3840-acre spacing unit (Sections 1, 2, 11, 12, 13, 14, T150N, R103W). North setback conditional on production liner cemented with wet shoe and ability to frac out shoe.

Direct

📄 APPLICATION FOR PERMIT FOR PERMIT MODIFICATION OIL & GAS (Permit Review Document), STIPULATIONS section
📅 Relative (Inferred confidence)

This is the foundational regulatory order granting approval to drill the well. The order explicitly defines the allowable wellbore geometry (north-south axis, 500' corridor, 150' setbacks) and conditions approval on specific casing/cementing design (wet shoe). These constraints are non-routine and specific to this permit's geometry.

Foreman Butte-Bakken Pool defined as accumulation from 50 feet above top of Bakken Formation to 50 feet below top of Three Forks Formation (Commission Order No. 34297).

Direct

📄 APPLICATION FOR PERMIT FOR PERMIT MODIFICATION OIL & GAS, STIPULATIONS section
📅 Relative (Inferred confidence)

Pool definition is a structural regulatory constraint that defines the productive interval and operator's legal right. While routine language, it anchors the well's target and is required to establish operational authority.

Open Hole Log Waiver approved (Form ID 248444, effective 05/20/2025) under NDIC Rule 43-02-03-31. Waiver justification: offsetting well (Winfield Federal 1-23H, File No. 15802) within one mile has open logs sufficient to establish formation tops. GR-CBL to be run TD to ground level.

Direct

📄 WELL SUNDRY FORM (FILE NUMBER: 41440, FORM ID: 248444) – Request for Consideration/Waiver, Description (Operator) section, and Reviewer Comments (Status: Approved)
📅 2025-05-20 (Exact confidence)

This waiver is time-bound to the permit approval and represents a non-routine modification of standard logging requirements. It directly conditions well operations (GR-CBL substitution) and justifies the waiver through offset well correlation rather than well-specific logging.

Anticollision analysis (Anticollision Report, dated 7/16/2025) evaluates separation between subject well and nine offset wells in adjacent pad locations. Minimum separation factors range from 1.23 to 223.45. All offsets pass separation criteria; closest approach is Jefferson Federal 5003 42-14 5B at 27.9 usft centre distance with 1.450 separation factor (Level 3, CC).

Supporting

📄 Anticollision Report – Summary table and narrative sections; ladder plot and separation factor plot confirm all wells maintain safe separation.
📅 2025-07-16 (Exact confidence)

Anticollision analysis is a pre-drilling technical submission that justifies approval by confirming the planned wellbore geometry does not pose collision risk to identified offset wells. This is required to satisfy the permit's directional drilling constraints and is specific to this multi-well pad environment.

Wet shoe casing configuration specified for production liner (4.5" P-110 BTC, 11,118'–27,385' MD, cemented 11,118'–27,385', float shoe at 27,385' MD with 7-barrel over-displacement creating ~400' uncemented annulus). This enables wireline-pumped stage 1 perforation initiation without tubing/tractor perforation.

Supporting

📄 Full Well Details – Jefferson Federal 5003 42-14 10BX, section titled 'Details of Standard Wet Shoe' and 'Full Well Details' sections; referenced in production liner cement program and casing design.
📅 Relative (Inferred confidence)

The wet shoe design is explicitly required by permit stipulation as condition of north setback approval. It is a non-standard completion method that permits the directional geometry approved under Order No. 34297. The design ties directly to the permit's regulatory constraint.

📖 Historical Context (3)

Core and Sample Collection Requirements (Letter dated 12/30/2024 from ND Geologist Ross Edison, referencing NDIC Rule 43-02-03-38.1 and ND Century Code Section 38-08-04). Operator must submit all drill cuttings samples (30' intervals vertical/build, 200' intervals lateral, collected from Base of Last Charles Salt) to ND Geological Survey Core Library within 30 days of drilling completion. Violation subject to civil penalty up to $12,500 per day.
📄 Letter from North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas Division (dated 12/30/2024), addressed to Dustin Anderson, Whiting Oil & Gas Corporation. Contains statutory cite (ND Century Code § 38-08-04) and administrative code reference (NDAC § 43-02-03-38.1). · 📅 2024-12-30
This is a standing statutory obligation that persists throughout well operations and beyond drilling completion. Failure to comply carries significant civil liability. While not unique to this permit, the requirement is non-routine in that it obligates Whiting to submit proprietary geological samples to a public repository within a fixed timeline tied to drilling completion. This creates operational and compliance risk extending beyond the permit approval.

Filter Container and Waste Disposal Requirements (NDAC § 43-02-03-19.2, referenced in letters dated May 30, 2025 and August 28, 2023). Operator must maintain leakproof, covered, placarded container on-site beginning at spud through completion/flow-back. All oil and gas waste (filters, mud, tank bottoms, fly ash, produced water) requires disposal at authorized facility with valid ND Department of Environmental Quality solid waste permit (NDAC § 33-20-02.1-01, contact Division of Waste Management at 701-328-5166).
📄 Two letters from ND Department of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas Division: (1) dated May 30, 2025; (2) dated August 28, 2023. Both reference NDAC § 43-02-03-19.2 and NDAC § 33-20-02.1-01. · 📅 2025-05-30 | 2023-08-28
These requirements are persistent operational obligations that begin at spud (09/15/2025 per drilling spud notification) and continue through completion/flow-back phases. Non-compliance with container requirements or unauthorized waste disposal creates state enforcement exposure and potential well suspension risk. The requirement links to federal/state environmental oversight under DEQ jurisdiction, creating dual-agency compliance dependency.

Federal Minerals Notification (Email from Daniel J. Kuchar, ND DMR Engineering Technician, to operator dated 10/10/2024, referencing consultation requirement for BLM-administered mineral interests). Jefferson Federal 5003 42-14 10BX is located within 3840-acre spacing unit (Sections 1, 2, 11, 12, 13, 14, T150N, R103W) that may be subject to Federal permit. Operator directed to contact BLM Dickinson office (701-227-7713) to ensure all documentation properly filed. Other wells on same pad (2B, 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B, 7B, 8B, 9B) may also have Federal mineral implications.
📄 Email communication from Kuchar, Daniel J., ND DMR Oil & Gas Division, dated approximately October 10, 2024 (date inferred from permit application review sequence). Email lists wells and spacing units requiring Federal coordination. · 📅 2024-10-10
This creates a contingent obligation to coordinate with BLM for any Federal minerals that underlie the well or adjacent spacing units. Federal permit requirements may supersede or modify state permit conditions. If BLM issues a permit or conditions, those obligations persist for the well's operational life and may impose additional reporting, royalty accounting, or operational constraints beyond state authority.

🔧 Operator Pattern

Whiting demonstrates systematic pad-based development strategy with coordinated multi-well horizontal drilling. Jefferson Federal 5003 pad includes 9 wells (2B–9B, 10BX) in shared spacing units. Operator proactively manages complex regulatory requirements (Federal/State coordination, anticollision analysis, offset well notification) and requests non-routine waivers (open hole log waiver) justified by technical evidence (offset well logs).
Well file contains: (1) Anticollision Report showing 9 offset wells evaluated for safe spacing; (2) notification letter (10/23/2023) to NDIC stating Whiting is operator of adjacent spacing unit (Section 23-150N-103W) where laterals traverse, demonstrating intra-company coordination; (3) pad layout drawings showing 9 wells with individual surface locations and elevation designs; (4) detailed geological and directional planning documents indicating pre-drilling technical rigor; (5) Open Hole Log Waiver (05/20/2025) justified by reference to White Rock Oil & Gas's Winfield Federal 1-23H logs rather than requiring duplicate logging. Pattern indicates institutional capacity for managing multi-well, multi-operator regulatory environments and proactive mitigation of collision/interference risk.

Confidence: High
The file contains explicit regulatory approval documents (Commission Order No. 34297 incorporated into the Permit Modification application), contemporaneous supporting submissions (Anticollision Report, Open Hole Log Waiver with regulator approval), and detailed technical specifications tied to permit conditions. The permit approval date is clearly marked (Effective Date on Permit Modification application and spud notification dated 09/15/2025). No gaps exist between permit-cycle signals and the well's drilling execution. Historical signals (core/sample requirements, waste disposal, Federal minerals) are clearly sourced from regulatory letters and statutory references with dates. OCR quality is sufficient for all critical permit documents. No evidence of missing or undisclosed regulatory orders.