File #42716 | Hess Bakken Investments II, LLC | Mountrail County
API
3306105650
Target Formation
Bakken (Manitou-Bakken Pool)
Permit Explained
Yes
Permit Cycle Assessment
The permit approval dated 02/13/2026 is directly explained and conditioned by Commission Order No. 34736, which imposes specific setback constraints (150' north/south, 500' east/west) and explicitly ties setback relief to the proposed completion design (production liner with wet shoe and frac-out capability). The well geometry and anti-collision planning (1.5 separation factor, real-time survey corrections, gamma ray geo-steering) provide contemporaneous technical justification for the lateral trajectory. A waiver of Order No. 31973 notification requirements, granted on the basis that Hess operates the adjacent spacing unit, contemporaneously removes a regulatory compliance burden. Surface rights authorization via pre-existing Surface Use Agreement with the surface owner is contemporaneously cited in the permit cycle to establish land access authority. The permit conditions are non-routine and expressly tied to well design features and regulatory relief.
Permit Cycle Signals (5)
Commission Order No. 34736 conditions approval and defines 150' north/south and 500' east/west setbacks within 2560-acre spacing unit (02/13/2026)
Regulatory order explicitly conditions the permit approval and mandates spatial constraints tied to well geometry and spacing unit definition
Production liner cemented in lateral with wet shoe and ability to frac out shoe—basis for north setback approval (02/13/2026)
Regulator explicitly tied setback relief to specific completion design feature; non-standard constraint conditioning approval
Anti-collision evaluation with 1.5 separation factor minimum and real-time corrected surveys every 93–100 feet; gamma ray geo-steering required (07/31/2025)
Contemporaneous technical justification for drilling trajectory and well placement; demonstrates pre-approval collision risk assessment that enabled lateral design approval
Waiver of Order No. 31973 requirements (a), (b), (c) granted because Hess is operator of Adjacent Unit (EN-RICE-A-155-94-0310 spacing unit) (09/11/2025)
Contemporaneous waiver request and affidavit explicitly justifying off-spacing drilling from owned adjacent unit; removes regulatory burden for inter-operator notification
Surface Use Agreement with Rice Ranch LLLP effective 09/27/2019 authorizing well sites, tank batteries, utilities, roads, and off-lease drilling into target sections (09/27/2019)
Pre-existing surface rights document contemporaneously referenced in permit cycle to establish landowner authorization for well location and off-spacing operations
Historical Non-Routine Signals (3)
Surface Use Agreement with Rice Ranch LLLP dated 09/27/2019 authorizes off-lease drilling into Sections 15, 16, 21, 22, 27, 34 (T156N-R94W) and establishes ongoing surface use, occupancy, construction, maintenance rights (09/27/2019)
Surface rights agreement remains in force and must be honored for all operations on the Rice Ranch property; constrains future pad expansion, surface activities, and remediation obligations
Hess Bakken project-wide affidavit (04/21/2022) certifying Halliburton does not use diesel fuels with specified CAS Registry Numbers in hydraulic fracturing operations in North Dakota (04/21/2022)
Project-wide commitment to diesel-free fracturing fluid suppliers; constraint persists across all Hess Bakken wells and affects completion operations and vendor selection
NDIC directive (05/30/2025) requiring leak-proof, covered, placarded filter sock containers on all North Dakota oil and gas wells effective 06/01/2014 (retroactive); must remain on-site during spud, clean-out, completion, and flow-back (06/01/2014)
Waste management obligation persists throughout well lifecycle; requires operator to maintain compliant container throughout drilling and completion phases and coordinate with authorized disposal facilities
Historical Operator Profile
Total Wells:N/A
Active Wells:N/A
Notable Patterns:None identified
Confidence Assessment
Level: High Rationale: Permit approval date is anchored and explicit (02/13/2026). Commission Order No. 34736 is directly cited in permit conditions and explicitly conditions approval. Contemporaneous technical documents (anti-collision report, drilling prognosis, directional plan) are dated within permit cycle or pre-permit engineering window and directly support trajectory and setback design. Waiver request and Surface Use Agreement affidavit are dated within 30 days of permit approval and directly reference permit-cycle actions. No dates are inferred or missing; all key documents are explicitly dated. Permit language does not contradict well file evidence.