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Enumeration of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria in the environment

Introduction

Oil pollution is relatively new problem for the environment. It is only recently since the discovery of crude oil that nations have refined it into different types of fuel and use oil as an engine lubricant. Supertankers have been built that travel the worlds oceans delivering this "liquid gold" as part of an industry that is worth many billions of dollars.

Cleaning up after oil spills at home, at sea or at an industrial complex is a messy business. What if we could use bacteria that can breakdown these hydrocarbons to do the cleaning up for us? So, if you are a school student, your first mission is to tackle questions 1, 2, 3, and 4 below:

How common are these hydrocarbon-degrading microbes in the environment?
Can we isolate them from water or soil?
Can they degrade a wide variety of hydrocarbons or only a specific type?
How long does it take to degrade hydrocarbons?
Can we grow a batch of bacterial culture in large enough quantities to help clean up spills?
As oil remediation agents, are bacteria as cost effective, efficient and environmentally friendly as chemical agents used at the moment?
Do we need futher research in this area, and if so, who should pay for it?