Jerry Brand’s algae collection, with nearly 2,800 specimens in all, is more than just pond scum. The diverse range of organisms is part of a growing multi-hundred billion dollar industry, used to produce anything from supplements to ice cream thickener to dental impressions and most recently, alternative biofuel, he said.
LAUREL, Mont. — Teams of federal and state workers fanned out Sunday along Montana’s famed Yellowstone River to gauge the environmental damage from a ruptured Exxon Mobil pipeline that spewed tens of thousands of gallons of crude oil into the waterway.
The break near Billings, in south-central Montana, fouled the riverbank and forced municipalities and irrigation districts to close intakes.