Michaela Martens
The Hill
6/8/2010
Lawmakers are looking to another celebrity for answers on the BP oil spill.
“Waterworld” and “Field of Dreams” star Kevin Costner will testify Thursday at a hearing of the House Committee on Science and Technology, alongside a number of experts on how to handle the ecological disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.
He joins director James Cameron as the second Hollywood figure to offer advice to congressmen, scientists and BP executives for solutions to the spill. Cameron joined a federal panel last week to speak from his expertise in underwater ocean technologies.
Costner has invested $26 million of his personal funds and more than a decade of effort into Ocean Therapy, a filtering system that separates oil from water when attached to a barge. He donated six of the machines to the cleanup effort in the Gulf of Mexico. BP officials approved the Ocean Therapy devices late last month for testing.
Thursday’s hearing will focus on the research and technology needs of effective oil spill recovery efforts.