As the Biden administration further examines the ramifications of its pause on oil and natural gas leases on federal lands, it will find North Dakota’s Bakken Shale has a “unique story to tell,” according to Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) Director Lynn Helms.

Most of the federal lands in North Dakota are split estates, where small tracts of 10 acres can prevent the development or drilling of much larger 500- or 600-acre adjacent tracts of private or state lands, Helms said last Thursday in reporting the latest monthly production statistics.

In Williams County, he said, a tract near Trenton, ND, was identified “that was nominated for leases at this year’s now canceled March sale, including a 10-acre tract of federal lands that could stop three or four wells from...