🛢️ JOHNSON 27-34 6H

DEVON ENERGY WILLISTON, L.L.C · McKenzie County, ND · File #41680 · Generated 2026-02-13 12:33

API: 3305310543
Target Formation: Middle Bakken
Permit Explained: Yes

📋 Permit Cycle Assessment

The well file contains contemporaneous documentation directly explaining the permit approval dated 03/15/2025. The APD itself incorporates two non-routine stipulations: (1) Bakken setback tied to wet-shoe completion design with frac-out capability; (2) closed mud system with no cuttings pit. Five subsequent sundry notices (filed between 03/18/2025 and 11/24/2025) condition operational phasing and technical requirements: suspension of drilling (SOD) establishes two-rig strategy with mandatory field inspector notification; tubing/packer waiver permits casing-only flowback design with pressure monitoring; open-hole log waiver substitutes GR-CBL for full suite; drill-cutting samples waiver leverages offset well data; and filter sock waiver addresses mud system selection. All waivers are geologist- or engineer-approved and time-bound to specific drilling/completion phases. The file does NOT explain why this specific well geometry or spacing is required, nor does it provide regulatory directives mandating the 6H (versus 7H or 8H) lateral design shown on multi-well pad plans. The permit approval appears routine horizontal drilling authorization, with variance relief requested post-issuance to optimize execution.

🔍 Permit Cycle Signals (5)

Drill Cutting Samples Waiver – Base of Last Salt to planned curve kickoff point; 30' samples waived in vertical portion; sampling resumes in curve and lateral sections at 200' intervals maximum.

Direct

📄 Sundry Form File 41680, Form ID 283812 (Logs & Testing category); dated 11/20/2025 received, 11/24/2025 approved
📅 11/24/2025 (Exact confidence)

Contemporaneous waiver modifies standard logging/sampling obligations established in initial permit. Justification explicitly references offset well Johnson 27-34 8H (File #41682) already collected 30' samples on same pad, and notes curve/lateral sampling will proceed. This is a permit-specific modification tied to pad economics and offset data reuse.

Suspension of Drilling (SOD) – 90-day approved window; small rig surface casing with 3–5 day mobilization; larger rotary rig to arrive within 90 days; mechanical seal or plug placed at casing top between rigs; no saltwater in surface operations.

Direct

📄 Sundry Form File 41680, Form ID 237080 (Well Operations category); dated 03/18/2025 received, 03/19/2025 approved
📅 03/19/2025 (Exact confidence)

Regulatory order explicitly conditioning drilling phasing and rig mobilization timeline. Includes mandatory field inspector notification (Tayden Jacobson, 701-500-5728) upon spud and plug bump. Reviewer note warns against intentional deviation of surface hole due to risk of severe casing wear during vertical/curve drilling. This directly explains staged drilling strategy and risk-mitigation requirement.

Tubing/Packer Waiver – safety factor of 0.85 API burst rating on new surface casing (29# and 32# weight, 11,220 psi API burst rating); 300# surface gauge during flowback; completion equipment to be installed immediately post-flowback.

Direct

📄 Sundry Form File 41680, Form ID 237088 (Casing/Cement category); dated 03/18/2025 received and approved (effective date 03/18/2025)
📅 03/18/2025 (Exact confidence)

Permits deviation from standard tubing/packer requirement (NDAC 43-02-03-21) by substituting casing-only design with enhanced safety monitoring (pressure gauge, rapid equipment installation). Directly conditions completion operations and flowback pressure regime. Note: Submitter listed as 'Grayson Mill Operating' in description, but operator name in permit headers is Devon Energy Williston, L.L.C.—potential corporate change or subsidiary relationship not clarified in file.

Open Hole Log Waiver – offset well Johnson 150-99-34-27-4H (NDIC File #28560) within 1 mile provides formation tops; GR-CBL (gamma ray/casing bond log) to be run from TD to ground level instead of full open-hole suite.

Supporting

📄 Sundry Form File 41680, Form ID 237059 (Logs & Testing category); dated 03/18/2025 received and approved (effective date 03/18/2025); waived via NDIC #8020
📅 03/18/2025 (Exact confidence)

Geologist-approved waiver justifies omission of standard open-hole logging by reliance on nearby offset well data (Grayson Mill operated well). Substitution of GR-CBL log is permitted alternative. This is pool-level rationalization tied to field maturity and data sufficiency.

Filter Sock Container Waiver – Devon Energy Williston does not utilize filter media during drilling; exemption from NDAC 43-02-03-19.2 container requirement for drilling phase only.

Supporting

📄 Sundry Form File 41680, Form ID 238964 (Well Operations category); dated 03/27/2025 received, 04/03/2025 approved
📅 04/03/2025 (Exact confidence)

Procedural waiver tied to operator's drilling mud system choice (closed mud system, no cuttings pit per APD stipulations). Phase-specific limitation (drilling phase only) preserves future filter container obligation if completion filtration occurs.

📖 Historical Context (5)

South Tobacco Garden–Bakken Pool definition (NDIC Commission Order No. 33440): accumulation from 50 ft above Bakken top to 50 ft below Three Forks top.
📄 APD Stipulations section; Field Order reference to Commission Order No. 33440 · 📅 Prior to permit issuance; exact date unknown
Pool boundary definition constrains future spacing unit consolidation and offset well placement. Well is located in existing defined pool; setback stipulation (150' N/S, 500' E/W) is tied to this pool structure.

Offset well drilling notification requirement (NDIC Order No. 31848): Devon Energy Williston must notify operator of adjacent spacing unit (Hess Bakken Investments II, LLC) when wellbore traverses adjacent unit. Directional plan, trajectory, formation tops, casing design, cementing details, spud date, and contact information provided to Hess.
📄 Affidavit by Victoria Siemieniewski, Regulatory Supervisor, Devon Energy Williston, dated 01/27/2025; notifies Hess of three proposed wells (JOHNSON 27-34 6H, 7H, 8H) · 📅 01/27/2025
Continuing obligation to maintain coordination with offset operator (Hess) as wells are drilled. Hess may assert conflicting rights or require modifications if wellbore geometry violates adjacent spacing unit boundaries. This obligation persists through drilling and completion.

Cores and samples preservation mandate (North Dakota Century Code 38-08-04 and NDAC 43-02-03-38.1): operator must collect cuttings from Base of Last Charles Salt downward at 30' intervals (vertical/build) and 200' intervals (horizontal); submit all cores/samples to ND Geological Survey within 30 days (samples) and 180 days (cores) of drilling completion. Civil penalty up to $12,500/day for violation.
📄 Letter from Ross Edison, Geologist, NDIC dated 03/10/2025 (reference to well file 41680, target formation Middle Bakken) · 📅 03/10/2025
Statutory obligation independent of waivers. Waivers (Form 283812, 11/24/2025) modify collection points (vertical portion waived, lateral resumes at 200') but do NOT eliminate submission requirements. Operator must track and archive samples through completion and submit per timeline. Waiver for vertical portion does not affect lateral/curve sampling or preservation deadlines.

Directional survey certifications (Mesa West Directional and Taktikal Directional reports, dated 05/17/2025 and 06/27/2025) establish wellbore geometry: tie-in survey through 2,085 ft MD; full MWD survey to 21,378 ft MD. Survey data locked to True North, minimum curvature method, EM MWD technology, sensor corrections per IGRF 2020 model. Permits calculation of anti-collision risk and casing strain.
📄 Directional Survey Certification reports (Mesa West, Taktikal); survey dates post-spud (05/12/2025 spud per notification Form 247227), data collection 05/12–06/26/2025 · 📅 05/17/2025 and 06/27/2025
Survey geometry is locked; any subsequent well operations (circulation tests, perforation placement, fracture design) must account for actual wellbore position relative to planned KOP, lateral entry point, toe point. Actual versus planned deviations (if any) affect offset well risk assessment and may trigger requirement for supplemental notification per Order 31848.

Casing design and wet-shoe completion specification (APD detail): 4.5" 13.5# BTC surface casing with wet-shoe sub and float collar; ability to frac out shoe; landing collar and ball seat for testing; first perforations approx. 100' from hard line and 250' from section line. Toe set at 150' FSL & 1920' FWL.
📄 Well schematic and casing design sheets in APD submittal; well design plan sheets dated 01/09/2025 and later (revision 12/13/2024–12/16/2024) · 📅 Design dated 01/2025; actual setting date not provided in file
Casing design locks completion architecture. Wet-shoe frac-out capability is explicitly tied to setback waiver justification (APD Stipulations: 'north setback is based on production liner cemented in lateral with wet shoe and ability to frac out shoe'). Any modification to casing design, shoe type, or frac-out procedure requires new approval. This is a structural constraint persisting through production life.

🔧 Operator Pattern

Multi-well pad development with offset coordination; strategic use of waivers to optimize rig economics and reduce operational friction; reliance on nearby offset well (Johnson 150-99-34-27-4H) data for geologic justification.
File shows three wells planned on JOHNSON EAST PAD (6H, 7H, 8H) with coordinated directional plans and shared surface infrastructure (pad layout, culverts, access road). Drill-cutting samples waiver cites reuse of 30' samples from Johnson 27-34 8H (File #41682, same pad) to justify exemption on 6H vertical section. Filter sock waiver reflects consistent mud system policy (closed system, no filter media). Tubing/packer waiver for 6H allows casing-only flowback design with enhanced pressure monitoring—indicating cost-conscious completion strategy standard for this operator's Bakken program. Offset well notification (NDIC Order 31848) shows proactive coordination with Hess Bakken Investments II, LLC (adjacent spacing unit operator). Historical context suggests Devon Energy Williston is a multi-well operator in South Tobacco Garden field using standardized waiver strategies and pad consolidation to reduce drilling time and filter vessel handling.

Confidence: High
All dates are explicit (OCR-extracted from stamped forms and regulatory letters). Five waiver sundries are approved/effective, with clear reviewer names and titles. APD stipulations are unambiguous regarding setback and mud system requirements. Directional survey certifications are third-party validated (Mesa West and Taktikal) with chain-of-custody statements. Offset well notification is affidavit-format with notary acknowledgment dated 01/27/2025. Core permit approval date (03/15/2025) is stated on APD header. Spud date (05/12/2025) is notified in Form 247227 with receipt date 05/13/2025. Only ambiguity is corporate identity discrepancy in Tubing/Packer Waiver (Form 237088 description lists 'Grayson Mill Operating' while all other documents show 'Devon Energy Williston, L.L.C'), suggesting possible name change, subsidiary relationship, or OCR artifact. This does not affect core permit-cycle analysis. File is comprehensive; no material dates are missing.