🛢️ Edward Federal 4797 43-21 2B

Enerplus Resources USA Corporation (subsidiary of Chord Energy) · Dunn County, ND · File #42672 · Generated 2026-02-13 12:33

API: 3302505139
Target Formation: Middle Bakken
Permit Explained: Yes

📋 Permit Cycle Assessment

The permit (File 42672, issued approximately 2/2/2026 based on State Geologist letter date) is directly justified by five contemporaneous regulatory and technical signals: (1) Commission Order No. 34663 establishing spacing unit geometry and setback stipulations; (2) operator-designed wet-shoe production liner configuration that enables compliance with south setback requirement via fracout capability; (3) anticollision analysis demonstrating 1.2+ separation safety factors across all offset wells, validating drilling clearance; (4) executed Surface Use Agreement with surface rights holder and self-waiver of adjacent operator notification under Order No. 31973, eliminating contractual and notification contingencies; (5) State Geologist sample collection directive (2/2/2026) as mandatory pre-drilling condition. All signals are permit-cycle-bound and condition approval on specific well geometry, setback compliance methodology, and regulatory submission obligations. No material gaps exist between approval and supporting documentation.

🔍 Permit Cycle Signals (5)

Commission Order No. 34663 granting approval to drill with stipulated setback geometry (150' north/south, 500' east/west within 2560-acre spacing unit)

Direct

📄 Application for Permit for New Well - Horizontal, STIPULATIONS section
📅 Unknown (Missing confidence)

Ties permit approval directly to geographically constrained drilling authority within defined spacing unit; setback conditions are non-standard for Bakken and depend on wet-shoe liner configuration

Wet-shoe production liner configuration with 7-barrel over-displacement creating 400' uncemented annulus, enabling wireline perforation initiation (cost-efficient alternative to tubing/tractor perforation)

Supporting

📄 Full Well Details section; Typical Details of Standard Wet Shoe
📅 Unknown (Missing confidence)

Non-routine well design feature that directly justifies stipulated south setback (permitting language explicitly references 'production liner cemented in lateral with wet shoe and ability to frac out shoe')

Anticollision statement documenting compliance with 1.2 separation safety factor, real-time corrected surveys, gamma-ray identification of existing wellbores, and survey frequency escalation protocol (93-100' intervals increasing as needed near lateral crossings)

Supporting

📄 Operator-submitted Anti-Collision Statement (Application page 2)
📅 Unknown (Missing confidence)

Demonstrates pre-approval planning to mitigate collision risk with four existing offset wells (3B, 4B, 5B sibling laterals and Little Chase Creek wells); separation factors exceed 1.5 for all offset wells, validating approval in dense drilling area

Surface Use Agreement executed between operator and landowner (SE¼SW¼, SW¼SE¼ Section 21-147N-97W) explicitly authorizing drilling from surface location outside spacing unit into 'off-lease' target units; landowner awareness and consent affirmed by notarized statement dated January 29, 2026

Direct

📄 Affidavit Affirming Surface Use Agreement; Cover letter dated November 6, 2025 requesting waiver for adjacent operator notification per Order No. 31848 and 31973
📅 2026-01-29 (Exact confidence)

Satisfies regulatory requirement under Order No. 31973 (POLICY FOR DRILLING HORIZONTAL WELLS FROM A SURFACE LOCATION OUTSIDE THE SPACING UNIT); operator self-waiver from notification to adjacent operator (self-owned unit) eliminates contingency risk

State Geologist directive requiring collection and submission of core samples from Base of Last Charles Salt at 30' max intervals (vertical/build) and 200' max intervals (horizontal sections); samples to be delivered to ND Geological Survey Core Library within 30 days of drilling completion

Direct

📄 Letter from Ross Edison, Geologist, dated February 2, 2026 (contemporaneous with permit approval date)
📅 2026-02-02 (Exact confidence)

Regulatory condition tied to permit issuance; mandatory pre-drilling requirement with civil penalty exposure ($12,500/day violation per ND Century Code 38-08-16); conditions drilling operations timeline

📖 Historical Context (3)

Little Knife-Bakken Pool definition (top 200 feet above Bakken Formation through Birdbear Formation top) establishes productive interval for entire 2560-acre spacing unit and constrains future development geometry; definition persists across all future spacing unit development
📄 Application for Permit - STIPULATIONS section (Pool Definition) · 📅 Unknown | Relative to permit
Pool boundary definition is structural constraint on all future well designs within the 2560-acre spacing unit (Sections 28, 33, T147N-R97W and Sections 4, 9, T146N-R97W); affects offset well spacing, infill drilling authorization, and interval isolation requirements beyond this permit cycle

Closed mud system with no cuttings pit (mandatory for all future phases); remote or automatic shutoff devices required on all equipment
📄 Application for Permit - STIPULATIONS section (Permit Review Policy) · 📅 Unknown | Relative to permit
Operational constraint persisting through drilling, completion, and production phases; ties to environmental compliance and waste management obligations (intersects with ND Administrative Code 43-02-03-19.2 waste disposal requirements and filter sock containment mandates issued separately 5/30/2025)

Indirect heater setback exemption (Case No. 28949 Order No. 31500) allows setback reduction from 200' to 60' wellhead and 21' oil tank; exemption grants non-standard facility spacing on this pad only
📄 Operator-submitted Facility Statement (Enerplus subsidiary submission) · 📅 Unknown | Historical (pre-permit facility design)
Exemption is tied to specific pad design and indirect heater equipment; affects reclamation obligations, surface footprint, and any future modification or expansion proposals for the pad; creates facility-level regulatory precedent for this location

🔧 Operator Pattern

Enerplus (Chord Energy subsidiary) demonstrates integrated well design and regulatory compliance capacity through multi-well pad development, with self-managed offset collision risk and internal spacing unit operation consolidating operational control.
Operator submits four sibling well designs (2B, 3B, 4B, 5B) from single pad with anticollision analysis across all internal laterals (separation factors 1.5–5.6) plus external offset wells (Little Chase Creek, LK Edward, Wing 9-1H). Operator is self-operator of adjacent spacing unit, eliminating third-party notification contingency. Execution of surface use agreement (dated 1/29/2026) suggests integrated land/drilling coordination. Well design relies on standardized Compass planning software and ISCWSA error modeling, indicating institutional process maturity for horizontal multi-lateral development in Little Knife field.

Confidence: High
Permit file contains six contemporaneous documents (permit application, state geologist letter 2/2/2026, facility statement, anticollision report, surface use agreement affidavit, and grid coordinates table) all dated within permit cycle window (November 2025–February 2026). State Geologist letter date (2/2/2026) strongly indicates permit approval date. Order No. 34663 reference in stipulations, Order No. 31973 surface use policy citation, and Order No. 31848 notification waiver reference are all regulatory orders directly conditioning approval. No date contradictions or document gaps affecting permit-cycle analysis. Well geometry (32,123.7' MD, 90° horizontal landing in Middle Bakken, 11,160' TVD) is fully documented with supporting formation tops and anticollision clearance analysis. Historical context (pool definition, closed mud system, heater exemption) is clearly separated from permit-justifying signals.