[AFreeBird]

I was reading over at the oildrum, that they are flaring (burning off) 25 MILLION cubic feet of gas A DAY!

That seems incredible to me. I realize that the oil is the primary concern, but if millions of cubic feet of gas are making it to the surface, why can’t they capture that as well?

[ROCKLOBSTER]

if millions of cubic feet of gas are making it to the surface, why can’t they capture that as well?

Because they'd have to compress it?

[Wonder Warthog]

"I realize that the oil is the primary concern, but if millions of cubic feet of gas are making it to the surface, why can’t they capture that as well?"

Nat. gas (and and I think most of the oil, as well) in the GOM is typically transported by pipeline(s). No real infrastructure (which is expensive, heavy, and complex) to produce and store CNG.