🛢️ T JOHNSON 1 SWD

Firebird Services, LLC · Mountrail County, North Dakota County, ND · File #42615 · Generated 2026-02-13 12:33

API: 3306105635
Target Formation: Dakota Group (Inyan Kara formation)
Permit Explained: Yes

📋 Permit Cycle Assessment

The T Johnson 1 SWD permit (File 42615, approved January 13, 2026) is directly explained by permit-cycle documentation. The Industrial Commission Order No. 35206 (January 5, 2026) provided regulator-issued authorization conditioning the injection permit issuance. The UIC Supervisor's pressure calculation (January 6, 2026) established the technical basis for injection pressure limits (1547 psi maximum). The proposed drilling plan and anti-collision analysis justify the directional well geometry and non-routine survey requirements. The UIC stipulations (spud notification, rat hole standards, perimeter berm, tank sensors) are regulator-issued conditions directly binding the permit. Produced water fluid characterization (November 5, 2025 sample analysis) provides technical support for Dakota Group injection eligibility. No material gap exists between permit approval and contemporaneous justifying documentation. The permit cycle is complete and well-documented.

🔍 Permit Cycle Signals (5)

Industrial Commission Order No. 35206 (Case No. 32435) issued January 5, 2026 authorizing injection into Dakota Group through T Johnson 1 SWD well

Direct

📄 Order before permit; page 2-3 of submitted file
📅 2026-01-05 (Exact confidence)

Regulator-issued authorization order conditioning all subsequent permit issuance. Order explicitly requires operator compliance with injection permit issued by Oil and Gas Division per NDAC Chapter 43-02-05. This order directly precedes and legally enables the permit approval dated 2026-01-13.

UIC Supervisor pressure calculation (January 6, 2026) establishing permitted maximum allowable surface injection pressure of 1547 psi for Dakota Group injection

Supporting

📄 Well Fracture Analysis document; page marked 'Prepared by: Jared Thune, UIC Supervisor, Date: January 6, 2026'
📅 2026-01-06 (Exact confidence)

Technical requirement issued by regulator one week before permit approval. Establishes binding operational constraint on injection pressure, derived from formation fracture gradient analysis (0.8 psi/ft), depth to zone (5286'), and fluid properties. This calculation directly justifies the pressure stipulation embedded in the permit.

Anti-Collision analysis completed prior to spud; MWD surveys planned at 30-foot intervals post-Mowry to prevent wellbore intersection with offset wells

Supporting

📄 Proposed Drilling Plan section 6 (Drilling/Completion Program); UIC Plan Appendix A map showing offset wells and Area of Review
📅 Relative (pre-spud requirement) (Inferred confidence)

Directional well geometry (surface location 365' FSL, 2038' FWL; bottom hole 2051' FSL, 2041' FWL; 35.1° inclination at TD) creates collision risk. Anti-collision modeling is non-routine requirement tied to specific wellbore path and proximity of PANTHER 1-29-20H and planned T JOHNSON 32-5-8 wells (1HF–5HF). Differentiates this permit from vertical SWD approvals.

UIC Stipulations conditioning permit approval: (1) immediate spud notification; (2) rat/mouse hole cementing and plugging; (3) perimeter berm; (4) tank level sensors

Direct

📄 Permit Information section, page 1
📅 2026-01-13 (Exact confidence)

Regulator-issued stipulations directly binding the permit. These are non-routine Class II UIC requirements specific to the injection well design and site configuration. Tank level sensors tie to spill prevention and Class II fluid containment. Perimeter berm and rat hole standards are integral to permit conditions.

Produced water sample analysis (Evenson 4044 well water; November 5, 2025 collection) showing TDS 1160 mg/L, specific gravity 1.00, confirming Class II fluid eligibility for Dakota Group injection

Supporting

📄 Appendix D (Injected Fluid Sources); Pace Analytical report (Lab ID 10756008001), dated November 18, 2025
📅 2025-11-05 (Exact confidence)

Pre-permit sampling and characterization of source fluid. Sample collected ~5 weeks before permit approval. TDS well below exempted aquifer threshold, confirming injection zone eligibility. This technical support document justifies the UIC Plan Section 5 injection rate specification (30,000 BWPD max) and validates fluid compatibility with Dakota Group formation.

📖 Historical Context (5)

Firebird Services, LLC subsidiary relationship and operational custody transfer arrangement with Phoenix Operating LLC (affidavit of company relationships, August 2025)
📄 Affidavit of Company Relationships; final document in file · 📅 2025-08
Establishes ongoing operational framework for dual-operator responsibility. Firebird owns SWD pump skid, pump, meter, and injection flowline; Phoenix owns oil production equipment and tank battery on co-located pad. Custody transfer occurs at metering point. This allocation persists through well operational life and conditions future compliance communication protocols and liability assignment for injection-related issues.

Co-location of five planned T Johnson 32-5-8 horizontal oil wells (1HF–5HF) on same pad as SWD well; all wells source produced water to single facility
📄 Appendix B (Corrective Action Statement); UIC Plan Appendix C (Freshwater Wells); Proposed Drilling Plan; pad layout drawings · 📅 2025-10 (revised 2025-10-22)
Planned multi-well pad configuration creates ongoing production volume interface and injection rate dependency. SWD design (30,000 BWPD maximum) is sized to accommodate cumulative produced water from co-located oil wells. Future drilling, completion, or production changes on any of the five oil wells will directly affect injection volumes and pressure at SWD well. Anti-collision survey requirements and directional geometry remain relevant throughout operational life to avoid wellbore contact with planned horizontal laterals.

Area of Review contains one existing wellbore (distance stated as >1/4 mile from injection interval); no corrective action required per NDAC 43-02-05
📄 Appendix B (Corrective Action Statement); Appendix A (AOR map) · 📅 2025-11 (permit cycle document date implicit)
Establishes baseline for future AOR compliance. If any new wells are drilled within 1/4 mile of injection interval, or if injection interval definition changes, corrective action obligations may arise. The existing well (offset distance and formation separation) sets precedent for interpretation of 'area of review' protection standards applicable to this injection well.

Freshwater well survey (two wells identified within 1-mile radius; well 15809121CCC non-operatable; well 15809131AAD1 sampled November 4, 2025)
📄 Appendix C (Freshwater Wells); affidavit and sample results · 📅 2025-11-04
Establishes baseline for USDW protection monitoring. Non-operatable freshwater well 15809121CCC may require periodic verification that it remains non-operatable or properly sealed. The sampled well (15809131AAD1) establishes a baseline water quality for future comparison in event of alleged contamination claims. Well locations must be tracked to detect any new freshwater wells drilled within 1-mile AOR during operational life.

Approach permit BAP25-0025 approved by Mountrail County Road and Bridge Department (November 24, 2025); permanent approach permit for access roads 'A' and 'B'
📄 Appendix F (Approach Permit & Traffic Flow Diagram); approved permit · 📅 2025-11-24
Establishes permanent access easement conditions and ongoing road maintenance/traffic flow obligations. County engineering approval conditions are binding constraints on pad operations (gravel specification, ditch maintenance, culvert construction standards). Road modifications or traffic pattern changes require county re-approval. Access maintenance responsibility persists throughout well operational life.

🔧 Operator Pattern

Phoenix Operating/Firebird Energy subsidiary model with co-located multi-well pad development strategy in Mountrail County; high-frequency permitting and compliance documentation timeliness
File contains: (1) organized subsidiary relationship with clear custody transfer protocols (Affidavit of Company Relationships); (2) five concurrent oil well permit applications on same Johnson pad (File Nos. TBD, status 'Submitted'); (3) contemporaneous production documentation from nearby Pladson CTB facility (April 2025 produced water sample); (4) timely formal notice letters to adjacent mineral operators and surface landowners (November 6-December 8, 2025 certified mail and hand delivery); (5) pre-spud anti-collision engineering (COMPASS planning report dated October 24, 2025); (6) systematic well identification and geologic offset calculations. Operator demonstrates mature permitting infrastructure and stakeholder communication discipline.

Confidence: High
File contains complete permit-cycle documentation chain: (1) regulator authorization order (Jan 5, 2026); (2) technical pressure calculation by UIC Supervisor (Jan 6, 2026); (3) permit issuance (Jan 13, 2026); (4) three supporting technical reports (drilling plan, fluid characterization, anti-collision analysis); (5) statutory notice compliance (landowner and operator notifications Nov–Dec 2025, delivered pre-hearing); (6) UIC Plan with five appendices detailing injection design, confining zone geology, spill prevention, and freshwater well survey. All dates are explicit or reliably inferred from document metadata. No material contradictions or temporal gaps exist. OCR quality is high for core regulatory documents; minor legibility issues in survey annexes do not affect analysis. Permit approval is clearly justified by contemporaneous decisional documentation.