"Becoming overly dependent on petroleum."
I don't buy that either. It's like saying we're to blame for being overly dependant on food or air. Petroleum is the best choice for a fuel source we have. Avaliability, usefulness, ease of production, and the amount of stored energy per unit are second to none. Without it, life would quickly revert back to a mid 19th century condition. Thanks but no thanks.
From the reports, I'd much rather put the blame on to those in charge of the platform itself, and on BP for allowing such anarchy to reign.