XTO To Drill Oil Well Inside City Limits of Sidney, MT

Link here to the Sidney Herald.

The city of Sidney will have its own oil well after the Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation approved temporary spacing of an oil well north of Sidney.

The oil well could generate some $14,000 a year for the city if the well produces between 200-250 barrels a day based on $75 a barrel. Residents themselves would see yearly checks of $50-100. The approved oil well application docket contains dozens of pages with residents’ names who will receive an oil check. Smelser said he’ll donate his to the city of Sidney and start a campaign for others who choose to do the same. 

Funds from the well, he said, will go toward employee salaries and infrastructure expenses. 

The oil well has been in the works since the 1980s, having been spurred on by Elliott Oil Corp. owners.

Smelser said XTO Energy, the company behind the oil well, has invested more money in upfront costs than any other well, “so I want to thank XTO for doing this project.”