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...portable power generation (used at drill sites and production plants)will no longer be allowed after Jan. 1, 2011.

WTH is that all about? Are you talking about the gazillions of compressor/generators located at the remote pumping/production sites just about everywhere in the country?

Short story: I get on Google Earth from time to time to just cruise around to see what I can see. Deep in these Piney Woods of East Texas are hundreds of what appeared to be tank storage facilities of some kind; complete with small storage tanks and other equipment. I located one within a few miles of home and went to investigate. First thing I noticed was a huge generator/compressor, not much smaller than and resembling a train engine. VERY quiet BTW. Along with this was what looked like a "Christmas Tree" and about half a dozen storage tanks with a large sign warning of hydrogen sulfide gas. I had seen all I wanted to see. ;^)

It is H2S, not HS2. The rule of thumb is as long as you can smell it, you are OK. In higher concentrations, it knocks out your sense of smell and you don't know the danger you are in. There are several H2S wells in and around school campuses, like Hallettsville. Just look for the wind sock.

The transmission pipeline typically has higher pressure than that of the well so the compressor is used to "force" the gas into the truckline. The tank batteries are there to store the oil and saltwater until a truck can come by and unload it. Most fields don't have pipelines to the individual wells but instead have a central tank battery. There is really nothing to fear around a well unless you are smoking and stick your head inside the tanks to see its contents. That happened around here the other day and they found the two people about two hundred yards away. Also, kids getting electrocuted or mangled from hanging around pump jacks every year. They run on timers.