Did you listen to the interview? Did you listen to his experience? It's obvious you didn't or just want to dismiss him and his team (yes there are more working on this than just Reynolds) as just another person who is outside your precious industry that just could not possibly add anything. The man has worked on a lot of projects in a lot of mediums including water with a wealth of experience. And that does not include the other scientists on his team.
Give it a rest about the way the industry operates. We all know how things were done in the past with some success and a lot of failures. Times change. Technology changes. Small thinkers stay small and big thinkers can accomplish big things. That's what this is all about.