🛢️ MHA Sandhill 4994 11-4 4B

Enerplus Resources USA Corporation · McKenzie County County, ND · File #42635 · Generated 2026-02-13 12:33

API: 3305310758
Target Formation: Bakken (Spotted Horn-Bakken Pool)
Permit Explained: Partially

📋 Permit Cycle Assessment

The permit approval on January 12, 2026, is conditionally explained by Order 33008 spacing unit and setback requirements, which are tied to the well's specific geometry (wet shoe production liner design). Surface Use Agreement and drill-back notification documents satisfy Order 31973 compliance for horizontal drilling from off-lease surface location. However, two material gaps exist: (1) the anticollision report flagged a Level 3 warning (SF 0.863) against Red Tipped Arrow 33-11H, below standard 1.0 separation factor threshold, with no documented waiver or mitigation stipulation in the permit; (2) a December 23, 2025 email from NDIC required BLM coordination for federal mineral permit confirmation, but no evidence of BLM permit closure or waiver appears in the file prior to January 12 approval. The permit is granted but without explicit contemporaneous resolution of the anticollision risk flag or proof of federal permitting clearance.

🔍 Permit Cycle Signals (5)

Commission Order No. 33008 defines 640-acre spacing unit (W/2 Sections 28 & 33, T150N, R94W) and establishes setback conditions tied to production liner wet shoe configuration with intentional over-displacement.

Direct

📄 Permit page 1, Stipulations section; Well Details Discussion section details wet shoe technical justification.
📅 2026-01-12 (Exact confidence)

Order 33008 directly conditions approval by mandating 150' north/south and 500' east/west setbacks contingent on cemented lateral with wet shoe and fracout capability—non-routine geometry justification.

Surface Use Agreement affirmed by affidavit (December 16, 2025) confirming landowner consent for off-lease drilling from Lots 3-4, Section 4, T149N, R94W into spacing unit wells.

Supporting

📄 Affidavit Affirming Surface Use Agreement; Affidavit Affirming Drill-Back Notification (January 6, 2026).
📅 2025-12-16 (Exact confidence)

Satisfies Order 31973 requirement for horizontal well surface location outside spacing unit; unambiguously pre-permit, tied directly to permit approval condition.

Drill-back notification to adjacent operator (Missouri River Resources, January 6, 2026) documenting wellbore entry into adjacent spacing unit and provision of anticollision documentation.

Supporting

📄 Affidavit Affirming Drill-Back Notification (January 6, 2026).
📅 2026-01-06 (Exact confidence)

Compliance with Order 31973 drill-back notification trigger; demonstrates operator communications prior to approval on same permit anchor date.

Anticollision Report (September 25, 2025) evaluates separation factors against 6 offset wells including Level 3 warning flag on Red Tipped Arrow 33-11H (SF 0.863 at 15,915 ft MD). Minimum separation factor 0.863 falls below standard 1.0 threshold.

Unclear

📄 Anticollision Report; Summary table; Separation Factor Plot (page 20).
📅 2025-09-25 (Exact confidence)

Identifies non-routine anticollision risk (Level 3 warning, sub-1.0 SF) that would normally trigger permit condition or waiver; no explicit waiver or mitigation stipulation appears in permit approval language.

BLM coordination email (December 23, 2025) from NDIC Permit Manager requiring operator contact with BLM Dickinson office to confirm federal mineral permit compliance for spacing unit subject to federal jurisdiction.

Unclear

📄 Email from Holweger to Ryan Emery (December 23, 2025); follow-up correction specifying W/2 Sections 28 & 33, T150N, R94W.
📅 2025-12-23 (Exact confidence)

Identifies unresolved federal permitting requirement pre-dating state permit approval (January 12, 2026); no evidence of BLM permit issuance in file.

📖 Historical Context (3)

Indirect heater setback exemption under NDIC Case No. 28949 Order No. 31500 allowing facility placement within 60 feet of wellhead and 21 feet of oil tank, conditionally approved in facility design.
📄 Facility Statement (well planning document). · 📅 Unknown
Exemption is equipment-specific and persists through operations; affects pad layout safety compliance and inspections during drilling, completion, and production phases.

Filtered solids disposal requirement specifying Chimney Butte Environmental, Petrocomp, Dishon Disposal, Ideal Oilfield Disposal, IHD Solids Management, Prairie Disposal, Secure Energy Services, or Tervita Corporation as authorized facilities, with requirement for leak-proof on-site container per NDAC 43-02-03-19.2 (effective June 1, 2014).
📄 Licensed Facilities for Solid Drill Cuttings Disposal document; Filter Socks and Other Filter Media letter (May 30, 2025). · 📅 2014-06-01
Standing regulatory obligation applicable to all wells drilled in ND after June 1, 2014; governs waste management throughout drilling, completion, and cleanup phases; non-compliance creates enforcement liability.

Diesel-based stimulation fluid prohibition: operator covenant to exclude CAS Registry Numbers 68334-30-5, 68476-34-6, 68476-30-2, 68476-31-3, 8008-20-6 from hydraulic stimulation fluids.
📄 Diesel Based Stimulation Fluids/Compounds statement. · 📅 Unknown
Stimulation design constraint persists through completion and flowback; restricts fluid chemistry options and requires vendor compliance verification at fracturing stage.

🔧 Operator Pattern

Enerplus Resources (subsidiary of Chord Energy) operates multiple horizontal wells on Fort Berthold Reservation from centralized pad facilities. File demonstrates systematic compliance with Order 31973 (surface use agreements, drill-back notifications) and anti-collision procedures (MWD surveys, certified well planner guidance, real-time corrected surveys, 1.2 separation safety factor during intermediate sections, gamma ray signatures). Pad consolidation strategy (CRANES PAD) includes existing wells (Crane 150-94-33C-28H, Crane 150-94-33C-28H-TF2) and planned future wells.
Multiple affidavits, anticollision reports, pad plat layouts, and planning documents dated 2025-2026. Surface Use Agreement and drill-back notifications demonstrate proactive consultation and documentation practices. Anticollision Report shows structured risk assessment methodology. Well Details Discussion describes advanced well design justifications (wet shoe, wiper plug, staged perforation strategy).

Confidence: Medium
Permit approval letter is clear and dated. Core permit conditions (Order 33008 spacing, setback requirements, wet shoe justification) are explicitly stated and tied to well design. However, the anticollision Level 3 warning flag (SF 0.863) has no matching permit waiver or mitigation language in the approval document, and the December 23, 2025 BLM coordination email remains unresolved in the file prior to January 12 approval. These gaps prevent high-confidence assessment of complete contemporaneous justification. OCR quality is generally good but some technical tables and plat annotations are dense and potentially incomplete. No date discrepancy identified in critical approval documents.