← Back to Daily Permits
🛢️ Esther Federal 4697 42-33 5B
Enerplus Resources USA Corporation (subsidiary of Chord Energy) · Dunn County, ND · File #42656 · Generated 2026-02-13 12:33
- API
- 3302505138
- Target Formation
- Middle Bakken
- Permit Explained
- Partially
📋 Permit Cycle Assessment
The permit (File No. 42656, issued 03/28/2026) is conditioned on three structural constraints directly tied to project design: (1) wet shoe completion method justifying 150'/500' setbacks from DSU boundaries; (2) anticollision analysis demonstrating minimum 1.30 separation factor against nearest offset wells, supporting lateral geometry; and (3) federal minerals coordination requirement. A waiver of adjacent operator notification was approved because Enerplus operates the adjacent spacing unit. However, the file does not contain explicit approval correspondence from NDIC or a regulatory order affirming issuance. The cores and samples letter (dated 01/26/2026) is regulatory but non-explanatory of permit approval itself—it prescribes operational compliance post-approval. The permit approval date (03/28/2026) is later than all pre-permit technical submissions, indicating the file captures pre-approval engineering but lacks a formal permit decision memo or finding statement.
🔍 Permit Cycle Signals (5)
📄 APD Stipulations - Bakken Setback Summary Statement
📅 2025-03-28 (Exact confidence)
Non-routine completion design tied directly to setback justification. Wet shoe configuration allows pump-down perforating vs. more costly tubing or tractor perforation, conditioning the 150' north/south setback approval.
📄 APD Stipulations - NDIC Field Order Info; Commission Order No. 34664
📅 2025-03-28 (Exact confidence)
Setbacks explicitly conditioned on wet shoe cemented liner design. Represents non-routine geometry constraint tied to lateral completion method.
📄 Anticollision Report; dated 06 November 2025; Summary Highlights and Offset Listing
📅 2025-11-06 (Exact confidence)
Technical justification submitted pre-approval to mitigate collision risk with closely-spaced sibling wells. Documents operator compliance with AC guidance and real-time survey protocol (surveys every 93–100 ft, increased frequency near lateral crossings).
📄 Email from Emma Neigum, NDIC, to Ryan Emery dated 2025-12-18
📅 2025-12-18 (Exact confidence)
Triggers requirement for parallel federal permitting process. Conditions NDIC approval on completion of federal coordination.
📄 Letter from Ryan Emery (Enerplus) to NDIC dated 2025-11-12
📅 2025-11-12 (Exact confidence)
Removes routine notification requirement based on operator self-identity in adjacent DSU. Wellbore crosses into adjacent spacing unit; waiver eliminates third-party notice obligation.
📖 Historical Context (4)
Indirect heater setback exemption (Case No. 28949, Order No. 31500) allows heater placement 60 ft from wellhead and 21 ft from oil tank (vs. standard 150 ft); disclosed in Facility Statement
📄 Facility Statement page 2 of Enerplus submission · 📅 Unknown
Equipment placement waiver persists throughout pad operations and production phase. Reduces setback constraints on facility design but requires compliance audit tied to exemption case.
Diesel-based stimulation fluid prohibition; operator certified no use of CAS Nos. 68334-30-5, 68476-34-6, 68476-30-2, 68476-31-3, 8008-20-6
📄 Diesel-Based Stimulation Fluids/Compounds statement (Enerplus submission) · 📅 Unknown
Constraint on frac fluid chemistry persists for entire lifecycle of well completion and re-stimulation operations. Affects vendor selection and cost of hydraulic fracture treatment.
Licensed cuttings disposal facility requirement; operator must use one of nine listed facilities (Chimney Butte Environmental, Petrocomp, Dishon Disposal, Ideal Oilfield Disposal, IHD Solids Management, Prairie Disposal, Secure Energy Services, Tervita Corporation)
📄 Licensed Facilities for Solid Drill Cuttings Disposal statement (Enerplus submission) · 📅 Unknown
Operational constraint affecting drilling waste logistics and environmental compliance. Must remain in force through cuttings generation and transport phases.
Core and sample submission requirements; cores to State Geologist within 180 days of drilling completion; samples within 30 days; detailed sampling protocol (30° max intervals vertical/build, 200° max intervals horizontal)
📄 Letter from Ross Edison, State Geologist, dated 01/26/2026 · 📅 2025-01-26
Regulatory obligation extending 180 days post-drilling completion. Affects drilling schedule and post-well logistics; non-compliance carries $12,500/day civil penalty per NDCC 38-08-16.
🔧 Operator Pattern
Enerplus operates multiple sibling wells in same spacing unit (ESTHER 4697 42-33 2B, 3B, 4B) and holds adjacent DSU rights, enabling self-coordination and waiver of third-party notification. Demonstrates institutional capacity for multi-well pad development and anticollision management within single project.
APD covers four horizontals from single pad (2B, 3B, 4B, 5B); anticollision report references all four as reference/offset wells; Order No. 31848 waiver cites Enerplus as operator of adjacent spacing unit; waiver letter confirms applicant control of both DSUs.
Confidence: Medium
Permit approval date (03/28/2026) is clear and APD document package is complete. Wet shoe stipulation, setback geometry, anticollision analysis, federal minerals coordination, and notification waiver are all documented and time-bound to the permit cycle. However, the file lacks a formal NDIC permit decision order or approval letter signed by a regulator. The cores/samples letter predates the permit by ~2 months, and the anticollision report predates it by ~4.5 months. No post-approval correspondence confirming issuance or conditioning language tied explicitly to the permit date exists in the provided file. Historical signals (cuttings disposal, stimulation fluid restrictions, heater exemption, sampling protocol) are clearly operational but their nexus to this specific permit approval is inferred rather than explicit.