I live in Louisiana right now and know quite a few folks who work offshore. Offshore drilling is EXTREMELY dangerous and quite a few smaller spills fly under the radar almost daily. The companies primary focus is on production, employee safety and environmental concerns are a distant second and third at best. There were no plots or conspiracies. The general consensus I've gotten from those who work on these platforms is not shock that this happened, but surprise that it didn't happen at this scale sooner.