🛢️ AMBER 1705-3BH

KODA Resources Operating, LLC · Divide County, ND · File #42631 · Generated 2026-02-13 12:33

API: 3302301739
Target Formation: Middle Bakken
Permit Explained: Yes

📋 Permit Cycle Assessment

The permit approval (Permit No. 42631, dated 08/15/2026 approval, issued 01/12/2026 as referenced in letter) is justified by contemporaneous technical and regulatory signals. The well design—a 24,612 ft measured depth horizontal in Middle Bakken with 15,532 ft lateral—is conditioned by NDIC Field Order No. 34405 setback requirements tied explicitly to completion design (production liner with wet shoe and frac-out capability). Aquifer location triggers non-routine closed mud system and impermeable liner stipulations. Anti-collision modeling (dated 11/25/2025) documents offset well separation control, addressing risk in a six-well pad cluster. Regulatory sampling requirements per NDCC 38-08-04 are issued with permit approval. Operational waivers (Order 31973 three-day waiting period; open-hole log waiver) are supported by operator's majority working interest affidavit (95.65%), justifying expedited execution authority. All permit conditions are directly referenced or explicitly required for approval; no material gaps in permit-cycle documentation identified.

🔍 Permit Cycle Signals (5)

Aquifer stipulation requiring onsite inspection and closed mud system with impermeable liner on entire location

Direct

📄 APPLICATION FOR PERMIT FOR NEW WELL - HORIZONTAL OIL & GAS, STIPULATIONS section
📅 2026-01-12 (Exact confidence)

Conditions approval on site-specific environmental controls due to well location on aquifer; non-routine requirement tied to hydrogeology risk

NDIC Field Order No. 34405 setback stipulation: 150' setback from north/south boundaries, 500' setback from east/west boundaries within 2880-acre DSU; based on production liner cemented in lateral with wet shoe and frac-out capability

Direct

📄 APPLICATION FOR PERMIT FOR NEW WELL - HORIZONTAL OIL & GAS, STIPULATIONS section
📅 2026-01-12 (Exact confidence)

Field order condition explicitly referenced in permit; setback justification tied to specific completion design (wet shoe, frac capability), indicating design was reviewed for approval

Cores and samples collection requirement per NDCC 38-08-04 and NAC 43-02-03-38.1; samples from Base of Last Charles Salt at 30' intervals (vertical/build) and 200' intervals (horizontal); delivery to ND Geological Survey within 30 days post-drilling

Supporting

📄 CORES AND SAMPLES letter dated 1/12/2026 from ND Mineral Resources
📅 2026-01-12 (Exact confidence)

Regulatory requirement issued contemporaneous with permit approval; defines post-drilling operational obligation tied to permit issuance

Anti-collision modeling submitted on pad for offset wells within vicinity; minimum separation factors evaluated at 2.00 sigma; nearest offset (Amber 1705-2BH lateral) maintains separation factor 1.888 at critical depth interval

Supporting

📄 Anticollision Report dated 11/25/2025; Well Planning Report dated 11/25/2025
📅 2025-11-25 (Exact confidence)

Technical justification for non-routine well geometry (15,532 ft lateral length in pad cluster); demonstrates engineering control of intersection risk with offset wellbores; pre-permit submission supporting directional design approval

Waiver requests: (1) NDIC Order 31973 waiver for three-day waiting period pre-construction; (2) waiver of open-hole logs submitted on Sundry; applicant affidavit of majority working interest (95.65% DSU) to justify operational continuity

Direct

📄 Letter dated 11/17/2025 re: Order 31973 waiver; Drilling Plan Section 5 note re: open-hole log waiver; Affidavit of Working Interest dated 11/13/2025
📅 2025-11-17 (Exact confidence)

Waivers directly condition permit execution timeline and operational scope; working interest affidavit establishes operator authority for pad-level development decision

📖 Historical Context (3)

Surface Use Agreement executed effective 11/07/2025 with surface owner (Brent Andersen / Ashley Engh) covering six-well pad (Amber 1706-1BH, 1705-2BH, 1705-3BH, 1731-7BH, 1732-8BH, 1732-9BH); agreement covers drilling, completion, and production operations
📄 Affidavit of Fully Executed Surface Use Agreement dated 12/02/2025 · 📅 Unknown
Surface use agreement is binding constraint on operational scope and liability allocation; persists through drilling and completion phases; requires compliance with surface owner terms throughout well lifecycle

Fertile Valley-Bakken Pool definition per NDIC stipulation: interval from 50 feet above top of Bakken to above top of Birdbear Formation; defines regulatory pool for spacing, proration, and unitization purposes
📄 APPLICATION FOR PERMIT FOR NEW WELL - HORIZONTAL OIL & GAS, STIPULATIONS section · 📅 Unknown
Pool definition is structural regulatory constraint affecting all future development, abandonment, and allocation decisions within the spacing unit; persists beyond this well permit

Filter sock and waste material disposal requirements per NDAC 43-02-03-19.2; leakproof container required on-site during drilling, cleanup, and completion operations; disposal through authorized facility in compliance with state/federal waste regulations
📄 Letter dated 05/30/2025 from NDIC re: Filter Socks and Other Filter Media · 📅 Unknown
Operational waste management obligation extends through all phases of well construction and completion; non-compliance triggers civil penalties up to $12,500 per violation per day; affects vendor selection and operational planning

🔧 Operator Pattern

Multi-well pad developer with majority working interest positions; demonstrates coordinated directional drilling and completion planning across DSUs
KODA Resources Operating holds 95.65% WI in Sections 5, 6, 7, 8, 17, 18 DSU and 80.71% WI in Sections 19, 20, 29, 30, 31, 32 DSU; six-well pad design (Amber 17 SW PAD) with unified surface use agreement, integrated anti-collision modeling, and coordinated access road development; land manager (Jason McLaren) affidavit of working interest dated 11/13/2025

Confidence: High
Permit file contains complete contemporaneous documentation: (1) explicit field order (No. 34405) conditioning setbacks to completion design; (2) regulatory sampling and core delivery letter dated same day as permit issuance (01/12/2026); (3) pre-permit anti-collision and directional engineering reports (dated 11/25/2025); (4) surface use agreement and working interest affidavits supporting operator authority; (5) aquifer-triggered stipulations with inspection requirement. No material permit justification gaps identified. Technical and regulatory signals are internally consistent with well geometry and spacing unit configuration. Text extraction is complete; dates are explicit where provided.