Mining News: Wanted: Mineral prospectors with skills 01/17/2010
Far North territories, B.C. governments use mining incentives to ease financial burden of grassroots exploration by individuals
Just as junior and major mining companies have important roles to play in the chain of developments that lead, hopefully, to discovery of substantial mineral deposits and subsequent commercial develop...

Mining News: Seasoned mine builder joins NovaGold 01/17/2010
Gil Leathley's five decades of experience is expected to be invaluable as the company continues to build world-class mines
NovaGold Resources Inc. tapped a wealth of mining experience recently when it appointed Gil Leathley as senior advisor to the junior's president and CEO, Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse. "Mr. Leathley is one of...

Mining News: Prospector looks beyond White Gold find 01/17/2010
Yukon's Shawn Ryan sees bright future for mining district; expects major to purchase Underworld property then grab Coffee deposit
The prospector who discovered the highly promising White Gold property near Dawson City, Yukon Territory says he believes the future is beyond bright for the region – it's blazing. Shawn Ryan, a self-...

Mining News: Alaska miners face hopeful New Year 01/17/2010
State's fairly independent economic cycle and growing global demand for minerals will spawn many opportunities for industry
In my simple world of cause and effect, when I see things happen I always leap to the conclusion that there will be a related subsequent development. When I see the United States borrow untold billio...

Mining News: Terrane seeks partner to build mine 01/17/2010
Terrane Metals Corp. has decided to move ahead with construction of a C$900 million open-pit copper-gold mine at the Mt. Milligan Project in north-central British Columbia. Robert Pease, Terrane's pr...

Action on six B.C. gas-related bombings 01/17/2010
Royal Canadian Mounted Police search property, interrogate and release; say new evidence will be submitted to prosecutors
An arrest, 10 hours of interrogation, about 150 officers from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police scouring a 750-acre property in northwestern Alberta, talk of a possible extortion charge - everything p...

Apache takes control of Kitimat LNG 01/17/2010
U.S. independent Apache has made a decisive move to the forefront of North America's changing energy markets by taking control of British Columbia's Kitimat LNG project. The Canadian unit of Apache an...

Alberta energy minister demoted 01/17/2010
Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach has caved in to industry pressure and his government's freefall in the latest opinion polls by dumping Energy Minister Mel Knight in a major cabinet house-cleaning Jan. 13....

Talisman puts eggs in shale basket 01/17/2010
Talisman Energy is keeping mum about its Alaska interests as it gears up for the possible sale this year of 40,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day of gas-weighted properties which could fetch up to...

Canada's upstream on upswing; '09 drilling licenses down 47% 01/17/2010
With Canadian government land sales slumping to a 17-year low and average natural gas prices at their lowest point in the past decade, it was no surprise that cash-squeezed producers slashed their dri...

Canadian companies weeding out the weak 01/10/2010
New decade launched with flurry of MandA action as Suncor offloads unwanted Petro-Canada assets, PetroBakken adds tech-driver plays
Canadian-based companies have added early sizzle to the 2010 mergers and acquisitions market, led by Suncor Energy's swift action to weed out what Chief Executive Officer Rick George rates as weaker,...

Industry revival on Canada's horizon 01/03/2010
Firming of commodity prices points to resumption of oil sands growth; natural gas expected to remain weak; consolidation predicted
One of the strongest oil patch forecasts for 2010 has come from a leading Canadian law firm, which is counting on an industry revival as commodity prices strengthen, opening up the investment taps in...

Mackenzie has liftoff; panel gives support to project 01/03/2010
The Mackenzie Gas Project has surfaced from its prolonged regulatory bog to receive strong backing from a Joint Review Panel which gave approval, along with caveats, based on its examination of the im...

FERC OKs Oregon LNG port; state to appeal 12/27/2009
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has approved construction of a liquefied natural gas terminal at Coos Bay on the Oregon Coast. Appeals are planned by both the state administration and environ...

Alberta heeds wake-up call 12/27/2009
Province's premier agrees royalty changes are needed to counter the potential loss of C$4 billion from shale gas 'game changer'
Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach has promised more changes to his government's unpopular royalty framework, which has been tinkered with over the past two years amid a rapid erosion of upstream investment....

Enbridge warns of possible pipeline over-capacity 12/27/2009
Between TransCanada and Enbridge - Canada's two biggest energy pipeline companies - there's seldom a meeting of the minds. From the time they got caught up squabbling over rights to ship Alaska North...

Mining News: Panel seeks staking ban for most of Peel 12/20/2009
Mining group worries recommendations will lock up valuable resources; start anti-mining trend in Yukon's other mineral-rich areas
A review panel has recommended that most of the Peel River watershed region in northeast Yukon Territory be withdrawn from industrial use, including mineral resource development. In long-awaited reco...

On the one hand, on... 12/20/2009
Husky, Nexen on opposite sides of cap-ex fence in Canada as analysts count on largest companies sticking close to '09 spending
As Canada's leading upstream companies start to unveil their 2010 capital spending programs, some appear more inclined to bide their time than others. Analysts doubt the budgets of major players will...

Exxon seeks new life 12/20/2009
Bets heavily on unconventional gas as fuel of choice by 2030 in takeover of XTO
The tipoff was there for anyone caring to pay attention when ExxonMobil declared on Dec. 8 that natural gas would be the fuel of choice in the United States by 2030, shunting aside coal and oil. Less...

New economic age for Canada 12/13/2009
Final terms for Northern Gateway regulatory hearing coincide with Harper's declaration that Asia-Pacific supplanting US, Europe
The pieces are now in place for a Canadian regulatory hearing that carries profound overtones for Canada's economic future, now that Prime Minister Stephen Harper has rated the Asia-Pacific region ahe...

Harper, Stelmach feel the green heat 12/06/2009
Prime minister decides against boycotting Copenhagen summit; Alberta premier ready to accept climate-change goals in step with US
There is talk of a re-branding of the two Canadian political leaders - Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach - seen as the least supportive of cap-and-trade systems as part of...

Alberta's chance to 'get it right' 12/06/2009
Government to release interim findings of competitiveness review; industry leaders say results key to business, government future
Aware, after more than two years of meddling with its oil and natural gas royalties, that it has lost the confidence of industry and investors, the Alberta government has one last chance to "get it ri...

Asia-bound, 'sooner rather than later' 11/29/2009
Enbridge, Kinder on verge of revealing strategies to open new markets for Alberta oil sands production, urged on by interest groups
Between now and mid-2010, the prospects of shipping bitumen from the Alberta oil sands to Asian refineries are heading toward make-or-break decisions. Enbridge anticipates submitting an application to...

Shale gas: Mirage or miracle? 11/29/2009
Euphoria over NA shale runs gauntlet of doubt; consultant - forecasts excessive
It's a roll of the dice with few parallels in the lifetime of North America's petroleum industry. In British Columbia alone, companies have plunked down billions of dollars to lock up exploration righ...

Mining News: Romios finds deposit near Galore Creek 11/22/2009
Junior reports values as high as 6.21 percent copper, 2.2 g/t gold and 20.7 g/t silver in samples from its new Dirk discovery
Romios Gold Resources Inc. Nov. 11 reported the discovery of significant copper, gold and silver mineralization on its Dirk Property located about 37 kilometers, or 24 miles, southeast of NovaGold Res...