Crystallex International Corp. won’t receive approval for an open-pit gold mine in Bolivar state because the project may cause deforestation, Environment Minister Yubiri Ortega said.

Venezuela won’t allow any open-pit mines for gold, diamonds or coal, Ortega told reporters today in Caracas. Crystallex and Gold Reserve Inc., which owns a copper and gold mine in Venezuela, said on April 30 that they were told Ortega’s ministry planned to reject or revoke their permits.

“If it can only be mined from underground, it’ll be unlikely anything will be economic as an underground mine,” Kerry Smith, a mining analyst at Haywood Securities Inc. in Toronto, said in a telephone interview. Read more » »

Erdene Gold Inc. said Friday that it and Xstrata PLC have committed to funding a feasibility study of an evaluation and development program at the Donkin coal deposit in Cape Breton Island.

Erdene, which owns a 25 per cent stake in the project, said it will work alongside Xstrata Coal Donkin Ltd., which owns the remaining 75 per cent.

Erdene and Xstrata have been looking to reopen the Donkin underground mine and sell its coal to the domestic and export thermal coal markets.
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Following a first quarter loss of $10.8 million, Knoxville-based National Coal Corp. plans to increase production to take advantage of increased coal prices and rising demand.

The company also reported that on May 12 it raised $10.8 million through the private placement of 2,332,000 shares at a price of $4.65 per share. Proceeds will be used to “facilitate the acceleration of development of new mines as well as for the acqusitions of additional equipment,” the company said in the report filed Thursday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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German coal consumption jumped 3.5 percent in January as colder weather increased demand, boosting emissions of greenhouse gases in Europe’s biggest economy, government statistics show.

Electricity generated by burning hard coal and lignite climbed to 24.35 terawatt-hours from 23.52 terawatt-hours in the same month a year earlier, according to the state statistics office, whose January data is the latest available.

Coal burning expanded to meet higher demand for heating as temperatures in Berlin fell an average 2.3 degrees Celsius below those a year earlier. Read more » »

Ram Gold & Exploration, Inc., formerly Gaia Resources, Inc., announced today that it has completed contract negotiations with AMR Project Peru, S.A.C. relating to its Letter of Intent between the parties in order to begin drilling and exploration on the AMR property with the intent to commercialize the properties operations. In December 2007, RAM Gold entered into a letter of intent with AMR Project Peru, S.A.C., (AMR), to acquire and develop certain mining leasehold interests held in Peru.

AMR owns certain mining and concession rights to 500 hectares of land in northern Peru. Because the name AMR could be perceived to be somewhat confusing with other U.S. companies having similar names derivations, Read more » »

Improvement of exploration of natural gas and oil mine in Michigan, results many mine companies doing exploration of natural gas and oil mine claims existence of demarcation order of exploration of natural gas and oil mines.

This order based on three regulations which there have, to make an order in activity of exploration of natural gas and oil mine.

This regulation meant to protect area from mining activity done by the mine company in mine region. Read more » »

To increase investment and exploration of natural gas mine, hence the year 1999 has been specified some policies which has been agreed on by Cabinet. This policy specifies about exemption for investor and exploration of natural gas mine.

Existence of this policy makes many mining companies in country and investor does exploration of natural gas mine. This business successfully increases government economics.

Some times ago Petroleum Ministry questions about agreement of policy which included in New Exploration Licensing Policy, what made in the year 1999 about tax holidays for company doing exploration. Read more » »

Appalachian coal executive Don Blankenship has a track record of flexing his financial muscle to shape West Virginia’s political landscape.

This time, he didn’t spend a dime. All he did was pose in European vacation photos with the state’s top judge.

That was enough to doom the re-election bid of West Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Elliott “Spike” Maynard, whose once-promising bid for a new term ended in defeat in Tuesday’s primary.
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Strikers at Namibia’s largest zinc mine are accusing the owners of trying to intimidate them by bringing in police.

Michaeleno Kadhikwa, a local Mineworkers Union of Namibia leader, told The Associated Press Wednesday it was unnecessary to bring in police, who have been at the Skorpion Zinc mine since Tuesday.

Kadhikwa says strikers have tried to keep temporary workers from taking their jobs, but the strike has been peaceful.
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A Utah mining company will sell iron ore to China, helping boost this southern Utah town’s fortunes.Palladon Iron Corp. says it sealed a five-year contract to send 2 million metric tons of iron ore a year to China Kingdom International Minerals & Metals Co. Ltd. Parent company Palladon Ventures Inc. bought the defunct iron-ore mine, 20 miles west of Cedar City, from bankrupt Geneva Steel in 2006.

The mine, which last operated in the late 1970s, could reopen later this year.
”This agreement enables us to begin production because we now have a buyer,” said Palladon Vice President Frank Dolce.
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