🛢️ KOLSCH 3119-1BH

KODA RESOURCES OPERATING, LLC · Divide County, ND · File #42653 · Generated 2026-02-13 12:33

API: 3302301746
Target Formation: Middle Bakken
Permit Explained: Yes

📋 Permit Cycle Assessment

The permit approval dated 01/15/2026 is directly explained by Commission Order No. 34741 governing Bakken drilling geometry and setbacks. The permit conditions drilling to a defined corridor (500 feet) and minimum setbacks (150 feet) justified by the planned completion design (production liner with wet shoe and frac-out capability). The wellbore trajectory meets offset well separation requirements documented in the anticollision report (26 August 2025). The LINE WELL designation in the 3840-acre spacing unit is approved subject to prior completion of one well in the standup 1920-acre unit. Operator's controlling working interest (76.08% in LINE WELL unit; 76.96% in 1920-acre unit) supports waiver of Order 31973 inter-operator notification. No contemporaneous regulatory order, geologist waiver request, or stipulation letter exists that modifies or contradicts the standard conditions of approval. The permit reflects routine horizontal Bakken development within the defined regulatory framework.

🔍 Permit Cycle Signals (5)

Commission Order No. 34741 governs drilling corridor and setback requirements. Approval conditioned on wellbore isolation by cement within 500-foot drilling corridor and 150-foot minimum setback from unit boundaries.

Direct

📄 APD Stipulations section, NDIC Field Order Info
📅 2025-01-15 (Exact confidence)

Directly conditions permit approval; establishes mandatory geometric constraints for lateral placement within 3840-acre spacing unit.

Setback justified by production liner cemented in lateral with wet shoe and ability to frac out shoe. North setback based on this specific completion design.

Direct

📄 APD Stipulations, Bakken Setback Summary Statement
📅 2025-01-15 (Exact confidence)

Ties setback condition to non-routine completion geometry (wet shoe, frac-out design), distinguishing from standard setback language.

Conditional development requirement: one horizontal well must be drilled in standup 1920-acre spacing unit before any well in standup lease-line 3840-acre spacing unit. Kolsch 3119-1BH is designated as LINE WELL in 3840-acre unit.

Direct

📄 APD Conditions of Approval, second stipulation block
📅 2025-01-15 (Exact confidence)

Temporal sequencing requirement tied to permit approval; establishes drilling priority and unit development obligation.

Anticollision analysis submitted and reviewed. Design #2 confirmed safe separation from offset wells including Kolsch 31-1 SWD, Kolsch 3119-2BH, 3119-3BH, 3119-4BH, and Whiting Rock 161-101-30-31H. Minimum separation factors documented.

Supporting

📄 Anticollision Report dated 26 August 2025; APD operator assertion confirmed 'reviewed any wells within 500 feet'
📅 2025-08-26 (Exact confidence)

Pre-approval technical submission supporting permit issuance; demonstrates resolution of collision risk that could condition or deny approval.

Waiver to NDIC Order 31973 notification requirement requested and granted. Operator is majority owner of both adjacent spacing units (Sections 3, 10 & 15, T160N, R102W), satisfying waiver rationale.

Supporting

📄 Letter dated September 4, 2025 from KODA requesting 31973 waiver; Affidavit of Working Interest dated September 4, 2025 supporting operator control
📅 2025-09-04 (Exact confidence)

Pre-permit cycle material addressing operator-level requirement that conditions approval pathway; waiver eliminates notification burden because operator controls both units.

📖 Historical Context (3)

Daneville-Bakken Pool definition: accumulation from 50 feet above top of Bakken Formation to 50 feet below top of Three Forks Formation. This pool definition is incorporated by permit stipulation and will govern future completion and pooling decisions.
📄 APD Stipulations, NDIC Field Order Info—Pool Definition · 📅 2025-01-15
Establishes vertical completion interval boundaries for this and any subsequent wells in the unit; affects future perforation strategies and acreage allocation disputes.

Surface use agreement executed with surface owner Julie and Lavern Johnson Living Trust, effective July 14, 2025. Affidavit of Surface Use Agreement filed September 4, 2025.
📄 Affidavit of Surface Use Agreement dated September 4, 2025 · 📅 2025-07-14
Ongoing liability and damage indemnification framework persists through drilling, completion, and production phases; covers property impacts and operational disputes.

Closed loop system required for drilling operations. All drill cuttings disposed at 13 Mile Landfill, Williston, ND. Effective filter sock disposal container (leak-proof, covered, placard) required from spud through flow-back operations per NDAC 43-02-03-19.2.
📄 Drilling Plan, Section 4 (Drilling Fluids Program); APD Conditions of Approval; May 30, 2025 letter from NDIC regarding filter sock disposal · 📅 2025-05-30
Ongoing operational constraint through all drilling and completion phases; violation subjects operator to enforcement action; affects site logistics and compliance burden.

🔧 Operator Pattern

Operator demonstrates multi-well pad development with coordinated spacing unit strategy. KODA is majority interest owner in contiguous 1920-acre and 3840-acre Bakken units, indicating consolidated acreage position and planned sequential drilling.
Four wells planned on Kolsch 31 Pad (Kolsch 3119-1BH as LINE WELL, plus 3119-2BH, 3119-3BH, 3119-4BH in standup unit). Working interest affidavits show 76.08% (LINE WELL) and 76.96% (standup wells). Anticollision report includes designs for all four wells and existing offset wells (Kolsch 31-1 SWD, Whiting Rock 161-101-30-31H), demonstrating integrated development planning. Multi-well design documentation (Design #2 selected; alternative designs referenced) shows technical sophistication.

Confidence: High
Permit application is complete with explicit regulatory citations (Commission Order 34741, NDAC 43-02-03-19.2, NDIC Order 31973). Approval date and all supporting documents are clearly dated. No OCR artifacts impede analysis. Anticollision report, directional surveys, drilling plan, and operator affidavits are contemporaneous and directly referenced in permit stipulations. No missing regulatory justifications or gaps in permit-cycle documentation identified. Pool definition and setback rationale are formally stated. Surface owner agreement and working interest affidavits confirm operator standing.