Sadly, the only way I see this being useful is if someone has a magic solution they've been sitting on and just not using.
Though I'm cynical enough to think that maybe BP will say "oh look, money" and clean it up and collect the prize.
BP wouldn't be collecting the prize for money either considering the small fraction of the cost that the prize would be.
(The “simple” is sarcastic for two reasons, one of which being the incredible danger of radically altering the ecosystem.)
"Oil from BP Plc’s record spill in the Gulf of Mexico is biodegrading quickly ... the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.
Oil has been dissipating since BP stopped the flow from its Macondo well off the coast of Louisiana on July 15, NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco told reporters yesterday on a conference call. Crude that’s dispersed into the sea is being gobbled up by bacteria, she said.
"Oil is to many people's surprise a natural substance and plenty of it naturally leaks into bodies of water like the Gulf so there's a lot of bacteria already evolved to feast on it.
Now this is not entirely good while it's happening since e.g. they consume oxygen to do it, but I gather that fish are smart enough to swim away from low oxygen concentrations.
I say make all petroleum companies pony up some serious cash and form an independent company to research and develop these techniques and maintain the equipment to be ready for such a future event.
http://www.xprize.org/media-center/press-release/x-prize-fou...
There will be a live webcast at 1pm EDT:
