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🛢️ MHA Bullsnake 4892 14-28 2BHP
Oasis Petroleum North America LLC · Dunn County County, ND · File #42651 · Generated 2026-02-13 12:33
- API
- Unknown
- Target Formation
- Middle Bakken
- Permit Explained
- Yes
📋 Permit Cycle Assessment
The permit approval of January 15, 2026 is directly conditioned by: (1) spacing unit establishment via ICO 34129 (1280 acres, Sections 28 & 29), (2) federal mineral coordination requirement identified by NDIC regulator on January 12, 2026, (3) operator's January 9 waiver request under Order No. 31848 for inter-unit wellbore deviation, supported by anticollision analysis demonstrating safe separation factors, and (4) approved Horizontal Drill Plan (revised October 9, 2025) specifying pressure control, casing, mud, and cementing programs. Contemporaneous documentation demonstrates regulatory justification for permit issuance tied to spacing geometry, federal coordination, deviation waiver, and technical execution standards.
🔍 Permit Cycle Signals (5)
📄 NDIC Permit Notification Letter, January 15, 2026
📅 2026-01-15 (Exact confidence)
Permit explicitly conditioned on specific 1280-acre spacing unit formation. This is the regulatory framework governing the permitted well's density and drainage.
📄 Email from Emma Neigum (NDIC) to Ryan Emery, January 12, 2026
📅 2026-01-12 (Exact confidence)
Regulator identified that permit applications fall within spacing units with potential federal mineral interest. Operator directed to coordinate with BLM Dickinson office (701-227-7713) prior to or concurrent with state permit approval.
📄 Letter from Ryan Emery (Oasis/Chord Energy), January 9, 2026; Anticollision Report dated October 28, 2025
📅 2026-01-09 (Exact confidence)
Operator explicitly requested waiver under NDIC Order No. 31848 for proposed wellbore entering Bakken outside target spacing unit. Anticollision report confirms wellbore path and separation factors (SF ≥ 8.0 minimum for offset wells MHA 3-27-34H-148-92 and MHA 4-28-29H-148-92). Waiver justified because Oasis operates both spacing units.
📄 Horizontal Drill Plan (HDP), dated 10/09/2025 (revised); executed survey plats and cross-sections
📅 2025-10-09 (Exact confidence)
Permit approval incorporates detailed HDP specifying 5M blowout prevention, 7-inch intermediate + 4.5-inch liner casing program, invert mud system (70/30), and cementing procedures. Plan includes anticollision guidance and real-time survey protocols. While routine for horizontal wells, plan is the technical foundation conditioning this specific approval.
📄 Horizontal Drill Plan, Section 'Facility Statement'
📅 Unknown (Missing confidence)
Operator holds prior NDIC waiver allowing indirect heater within 60 feet of wellhead (vs. standard setback). This non-routine equipment exemption is condition of facility design and execution.
📖 Historical Context (3)
Filter Sock and Waste Material Disposal Mandate (ND Administrative Code 43-02-03-19.2)
📄 NDIC Letter, May 30, 2025, re: Filter Socks and Leak Proof Container · 📅 2025-05-30
Effective June 1, 2014, all wells drilled in ND must maintain on-site leak-proof, covered container for filter disposal during spud, clean-out, completion, and flow-back. Operator may request waiver via Sundry Notice (Form 4) if no filtration system used. Applies to well execution and operationally constrains waste handling throughout drilling and completion phases.
Diesel-Based Stimulation Fluid Prohibition
📄 Horizontal Drill Plan, Section 10; Oasis submission dated January 9, 2026 · 📅 2025-10-09
Operator committed not to use diesel-based compounds (CAS Registry Nos. 68334-30-5, 68476-34-6, 68476-30-2, 68476-31-3, 8008-20-6) in hydraulic stimulation fluids. Constraint applies to completion and stimulation phases; limits product selection and vendor options for fracturing operations.
Licensed Dry Cuttings Disposal Facility Selection
📄 Horizontal Drill Plan, Section 11; Oasis submission · 📅 2025-10-09
Operator must use one of nine pre-approved licensed facilities (Chimney Butte, Dishon, Ideal, IHD, Petrocomp, Prairie, Secure Energy, Tervita). Cuttings hauled to closest available facility. Operationally binding throughout drilling phase; affects logistics and disposal cost.
🔧 Operator Pattern
Oasis Petroleum (subsidiary of Chord Energy) operates multiple wells on Fort Berthold Reservation within the Bullsnake area; holds adjacent spacing units and exercises operational control across multi-well pad development
Waiver request January 9, 2026 states 'Oasis Petroleum North America, LLC is the operator of the adjacent spacing unit' (MHA Bullsnake 4892 14-28 1BHP also permitted same date; three-well pad layout [3BX, 2BHP, 1BHP] on single surface location NE¼NE¼ Section 28). Anticollision analysis confirms Oasis-operated offset wells. Operator demonstrates experience with horizontal Bakken development and regulatory navigation (prior facility waiver; federal coordination awareness).
Confidence: High
Permit approval date (January 15, 2026) is clearly stated. Contemporaneous pre-permit materials are explicitly referenced or incorporated: spacing unit ICO (dated in permit letter), federal notification (January 12, 2 business days pre-approval), waiver request (January 9, submitted pre-approval), HDP (October 9, revised pre-approval), and anticollision report (October 28, 2025). Technical submissions (surveys, facility design, drilling plan, environmental commitments) are dated and tracked to approval. No material dates are inverted or inferred. Regulatory orders and stipulations are clearly identified (Order No. 31848, ICO 34129, Case No. 28949). File is internally consistent; no contradictory dating or missing linkage between permit anchor and conditioning documents.