Monday, October 19, 2026

Report 19617 approved five permits, one for Burlington Resources in McKenzie County and four drill-back wells on another McKenzie County pad. Ten wells came off confidential status, spread among Enerplus, XTO, Silver Hill, Hess Bakken Investments II and Whiting. Eight wells in McKenzie, Burke and Divide counties changed operator from Stearns Oil Company to Burnett Energy, and the rig count rose by two to 37.

Highlights

5 permits approved in McKenzie County, including Burlington Resources (Clemens 2C-TFH-R2)
10 wells released from confidential status: Enerplus (3, Dunn County), XTO Energy (3, Williams County), Silver Hill Energy (2, Mountrail County), Hess Bakken Investments II (Williams County) and Whiting (McKenzie County)
1 surface-hole location change: XTO Energy, Dunn County
2 permit renewals: Oasis Petroleum, McKenzie County
8 wells changed operator: Stearns Oil Company LLC to Burnett Energy Inc. (McKenzie 5, Burke 2, Divide 1)

The report lists an active daily rig count of 37 (up 2 from the prior report).

What it means for mineral owners: An operator change affects who sends division orders and royalty checks for the well; owners of record should expect new paperwork and should confirm their owner number carries over.

Read the official report (PDF)

Summarized by Fort Union from the Commission's daily activity report; entries shown are a selection, not the full list. The official PDF controls. See also all daily reports and the NDIC News RSS feed.