🛢️ Dunlin 5892 31-33 4B

Oasis Petroleum North America LLC · Mountrail County, ND · File #42738 · Generated 2026-04-04 15:56

API: 3306105655
Target Formation: Middle Bakken
Permit Explained: Yes

📋 Permit Cycle Assessment

The permit approval (2/27/2026) is explained by Commission Order 34892, which establishes setback boundaries and pool definition as binding conditions. Oasis Petroleum's pre-permit waiver request (1/6/2026) for off-spacing drilling under Order 31973, combined with surface use agreement execution (2/26/2026) and anticollision clearance (12/8/2025, one Level 3 warning accepted), constitute the contemporaneous permit-cycle documentation. The wet shoe configuration, production liner cement design, and lateral geometry are all specified in engineering plans submitted with the application. No regulatory orders, stipulation letters, or geologist/engineer requirements materially altered the permit after initial proposal; the file shows permit approval as presented.

🔍 Permit Cycle Signals (4)

Commission Order No. 34892 conditions approval on setback compliance: 500' north/south boundaries, 150' east/west boundaries within 2560-acre spacing unit (Sections 35, 36, 31, 32; T158N, R92-93W). West setback tied to production liner cemented with wet shoe and frac-out capability.

Direct

📄 Permit Page 2, STIPULATIONS section, Conditions of Approval
📅 2026-02-27 (Exact confidence)

Regulator-issued setback stipulation directly conditions the permit approval and differentiates this lateral geometry from routine approval. Wet shoe configuration explicitly justified in permit engineering section.

Enget Lake-Bakken Pool defined as interval 50 feet above Bakken top to above Birdbear top. Completion interval C1 specified: Top MD 9802', Bottom MD 30408', within this pool definition in spacing unit.

Direct

📄 Permit Page 6, COMPLETION INTERVALS section
📅 2026-02-27 (Exact confidence)

Pool definition and completion interval are direct permit conditions establishing target zone boundaries and unit assignment.

Operator (Oasis) self-certifies to NDIC (January 6, 2026) that it is operator of adjacent spacing unit; requests waiver from Order 31973 notification requirement for off-spacing drilling. No objection documented in record.

Supporting

📄 Letter dated Tuesday, January 6, 2026, RE: Dunlin wells 2B-6B; also Affidavit Affirming Surface Use Agreement dated February 26, 2026
📅 2026-01-06 (Exact confidence)

Waiver request precedes permit approval; absence of regulatory objection in file implies tacit approval of off-spacing configuration under Order 31973.

Anticollision Report (dated 12/8/2025) evaluates 16 offset wells and identifies one Level 3 warning (Dunlin 5892 31-33 6BX with SF=1.254). All other offsets achieve acceptable separation (SF >1.3 or CC >4 ft). Report included as support for permit.

Supporting

📄 Anticollision Report, Summary table; reference to 'Attachment 6' in permit Proposed Work section
📅 2025-12-08 (Exact confidence)

AC analysis directly conditions well design safety; one marginal separation identified but not made permit contingency, suggesting operator mitigation accepted or regulatory tolerance. Critical for horizontal drilling approval.

📖 Historical Context (3)

Facility setback exemption granted under Case No. 28949, Order No. 31500, allowing indirect heater installation within 60 feet of wellhead and 21 feet of oil tank (normally prohibited). Exemption applies to this location/facility design.
📄 Permit Page 7, FACILITY STATEMENT; Drilling Plan section · 📅 Unknown
Setback exemption is location-specific and persists for all wells on this pad (Dunlin 2B, 3B, 5B, 6BX, and potentially 4B). Non-standard facility placement reduces operational flexibility and creates ongoing regulatory compliance obligation if pad configuration changes.

Core and sample submission requirement (NDCIC letter dated 3/2/2026) mandates all cores and cuttings samples submitted to ND Geological Survey within 30 days (samples) and 180 days (cores) post-drilling. Violation penalty up to $12,500 per day.
📄 Letter dated 3/2/2026 from DMR to Dustin Anderson (Oasis); cites NDCC 38-08-04 and NDAC 43-02-03-38.1 · 📅 2026-03-02
Regulatory obligation tied to drilling operations and persists through completion phase. Non-compliance creates financial and administrative liability independent of production operations.

Filter sock containment mandate (DMR letter dated 5/30/2025, effective 6/1/2014) requires covered, leak-proof container with placard on site from spud through completion and flowback. Container must remain on-site whenever filtration operations occur.
📄 Letter dated May 30, 2025, RE: Filter Socks and Other Filter Media; also referenced in permit Operator Assertions section (affirmative acknowledgment) · 📅 2025-05-30
Waste management requirement persists through entire well lifecycle (spud through flowback). Operator must maintain compliance infrastructure on pad; non-compliance creates liability under NDAC 43-02-03-19.2.

🔧 Operator Pattern

Oasis Petroleum (now Chord Energy subsidiary) demonstrates systematic off-spacing development strategy with regulatory accommodation. Multi-well pad approach (5-6 wells per surface location) with forward-engineered anticollision planning and pre-approved setback exemptions indicate operational maturity and regulatory alignment in Bakken development.
Affidavit confirms Oasis operates adjacent spacing unit; Order 31973 waiver accepted without objection; facility exemption Case 28949 already granted; pad design accommodates 6 wellbores with coordinated directional plans. Operator self-certifies off-spacing configuration and provides detailed AC analysis.

Confidence: High
Permit file is complete with application, approval, engineering plans, regulatory correspondence, waiver documentation, anticollision analysis, and facility/construction statements. All critical dates are documented (application 1/15/2026, approval 2/27/2026, core letter 3/2/2026). OCR quality is adequate; no material date ambiguities. Permit-cycle signals are directly sourced from regulatory orders and operator certifications in file. Historical context signals are tied to ongoing regulatory obligations with clear enforcement mechanisms.