Why Are We Drilling 5,000 Feet in the First Place?

Here’s an excellent question from Charles Krauthammer: “Why are we drilling in 5,000 feet of water in the first place? Many reasons, but this one goes unmentioned: Environmental chic has driven us out there. As production from the shallower Gulf of Mexico wells declines, we go deep (1,000 feet and more) and ultra deep (5,000 feet and [...]