Kevin Costner touts technology for Gulf spill cleanup

Costner urged Congress to weigh a technology he invested more than 20 million dollars in that could be used to separate oil from water.

Washington: Hollywood star Kevin Costner urged Congress Wednesday to weigh a technology he invested more than 20 million dollars in that could be used to separate oil from water in the disastrous Gulf of Mexico spill. "I know there must be question why I am here, I want to assure every one in the room that it`s not because I heard a voice in the cornfield," Costner joked, referring to his role in the film ‘The Field of Dreams,’ in which he played a farmer who heard voices telling him to build a ballpark in his corn field.

Costner, star of the post-apocalyptic classic ‘Waterworld,’ said he was deeply affected by the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill and that convinced him to use personal resources to develop technologies to help people and the environment. "Today that technology (CINC) is the most effective and efficient tool for cleaning up oil spills that you have probably never heard of," he explained. "I envisioned the machine as a safety device, compact and portable enough that it could be deployed on a small craft and rugged enough to operate reliably in rough seas." Costner said oil giant BP, struggling with the worst ever US oil spill, was interested in the technology. "Our machine is the right machine for the moment," said Costner. After successful tests, "BP is now moving to place initial orders (of) these machines and they acknowledged they do the job." Bureau Report