Another Operator in the Bakken; Williston Exploration; Southwest North Dakota

Jeff White sent me this note earlier this week; I was traveling and have not had a chance to post it until now. I've posted a gazillion stories since midnight a few hours ago, but waited on this one, so I could "digest" it, as it were. There are several story lines in the note Mr White sent me. The data points:

• Williston Exploration has formed a new company: Medora Minerals
•  Medora Minerals recently bought the North Dakota assets of Penn West (Upton Resources USA). 
• Medora Minerals will own the assets; Williston Exploration will be the operator
• the assets include 7,000 net mineral acres and 20 wells; 14 operated; 6 non-operated
• 3,000 acres in Billings County (Tyler country)
• the wells target both the Madison and Tyler formations; most of them are horizontal wells
• the company will focus primarily on the Tyler; secondarily on the Madison
• the company's newest Tyler well has 9 months of production; Billings County
• the company's new business office is about 30 miles northeast of where I live in San Antonio: New Braunfels, TX
• the company will be opening an office in Dickinson; planning to move in 1Q13

I can't say for sure this is the well referenced, but it certainly seems to fit:

• 18216, 30, Williston Exploration, Vanvig 1, wildcat in Billings County; t7/12; cum 5K 9/12; nine months of production as of October, 2012; spud 7/11; 

An interesting side note found in the well file: the company had to request an extension from the state for its permit for this reason: "We required a permit from the federal government to cross their land and it has not been received to date. We anticipate that it will be granted in late July 2010. " The note does not say when the company requested the permit, so the company may have delayed getting the request in, or the federal government may have been the delay. Perhaps a little of both. It helps put into perspective the delays one should expect if the federal government regulates fracking. This well is about 20 miles southwest of Belfield. It is a vertical well, about 9,000 feet.