[ForGod'sSake]

They make sweet gas (not sour) and quite a bit of oil.

So, what's with the hydrogen sulfide tanks? And yeah, I'd heard Anadarko was a "partner" in the blown out well. Many others too probably.

An aside; there have been a few oil and gas wells around these parts for decades but just in the last few years these newer sites have sprung up all around us. I gather at the depths you mention the cost to get at it until recently wasn't justified?

[crusty old prospector]

Those are just the tank batteries that store the oil and saltwater until a vacuum truck shows up to empty them. If there is any H2S, they will have a flare stack and will be burning it as the pipeline company won't accept the gas unless it is removed because of corrosion and safety issues.

Horizontal drilling is what has made those wells profitable. They probably cost on the order of $6,000,000. The laterals go out over a mile from the surface beginning at 13,000'.

The only other partner in the well is Mitsui, a Japanese company with 10%.