Congress failed to strike a deal Friday on expanding offshore oil and gas drilling, another setback in Louisiana’s decades-long quest to get a share of billions of dollars in federal energy royalties to repair its eroding coastline.

Members said they hoped to revive negotiations when they return Nov. 13 from a six-week recess. But the intervening congressional elections inject an element of uncertainty into already-fragile talks.

“It doesn’t look good, but it’s not completely hopeless,” said Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La.
Rep. Bobby Jindal, R-Kenner, was somewhat more optimistic, given how far House and Senate negotiators came toward a deal in the past week. Read more » »

The government on Friday awarded coal bed methane (CBM) gas blocks to firms including British oil major BP Plc, Australia’s Arrow Energy, and India’s Reliance Energy Ltd. and Tata Power Co. Ltd.

“The cabinet has accepted the recommendations of Empowered Committee of Secretaries and decided to award blocks according to their recommendations without any change,” Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram told reporters.

BP’s subsidiary, BP Exploration (Alpha) Ltd., has won one of the two blocks for which it had bid.

A consortium of Reliance Energy, Reliance Natural Resources - both part of India’s Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group - and France’s GeoPetrol International Inc. has been awarded four CBM blocks.
Read more » »

The government on Friday awarded coal bed methane (CBM) gas blocks to firms including British oil major BP Plc, Australia’s Arrow Energy, and India’s Reliance Energy Ltd. and Tata Power Co. Ltd.

“The cabinet has accepted the recommendations of Empowered Committee of Secretaries and decided to award blocks according to their recommendations without any change,” Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram told reporters.

BP’s subsidiary, BP Exploration (Alpha) Ltd., has won one of the two blocks for which it had bid.

A consortium of Reliance Energy, Reliance Natural Resources - both part of India’s Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group - and France’s GeoPetrol International Inc. has been awarded four CBM blocks.
Read more » »

A Canadian Pacific Railways coal train derailed Friday morning in a remote area along the Kootenay River near Cranbrook.

Sixteen cars of the 115-car westbound train jumped the tracks east of Fort Steele. Cleanup crews and environmental experts were at the site assessing the damage.
“We have one car that has spilled some of its contents onto the edge of the river that runs along side the track,” CPR spokesman Ed Greenburg said part.

The rail line will remain closed until Sunday; trains are being re-routed through Cranbrook.

There were no injuries and the cause of the accident isn’t known.

India has awarded coal bed methane gas blocks to firms including British oil major BP Plc, Australia’s Arrow Energy and India’s Reliance Energy Ltd and Tata Power Co Ltd.

“The cabinet has accepted the recommendations of Empowered Committee of Secretaries and decided to award blocks according to their recommendations without any change,” Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram told reporters.

BP’s subsidiary, BP Exploration (Alpha) Ltd, has won one of the two blocks for which it had bid.

A consortium of Reliance Energy, Reliance Natural Resources -both part of India’s Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group - and France’s GeoPetrol International Inc has been awarded four CBM blocks.

Read more » »

The first goal in a soccer game doesn’t assure victory. But, it sure makes it an easier task to earn a win.

The formula certainly worked for Coal Ridge, who after Eric Schmitz netted the game’s initial score, maneuvered the Titans to a 3-1 league win over Paonia Thursday.

“The first goal of any game is extremely important. It sets the tone. And getting that goal was incredible,” said newly appointed head coach Brian Blair, who took over when former head coach Shawn McElroy resigned. Read more » »

Coal Grove at Fairland was one of those football games where whoever had the ball last would probably win.

Matt Cooper’s 2-yard touchdown run for Coal Grove with 4:03 left to play finished the scoring. Corey Newman followed with his second interception of the game to seal the win for Coal Grove, now 4-2 overall and 1-0 in the Ohio Valley Conference.

“My kids rose to the occasion and made the big plays when they had to,” said Coal Grove coach Dave Lucas. “Corey made a big play for us at the end.”

Trent Blankenship carried the ball 35 times for Coal Grove and picked up 186 yards. Blankenship had touchdown carries of 3 and 28 yards. Read more » »

Canada’s economy, the world’s eighth-largest, expanded 0.2 percent in July, the most in four months, led by mining, wholesaling and financial services.

The increase reported by Statistics Canada today in Ottawa compares with no growth in June and matches the median estimate in a Bloomberg News survey of 19 economists.

Today’s figures suggest the economy is rebounding after falling short of expectations for four months. Consumer spending and strong foreign demand for commodities boosted growth, while manufacturing stalled because factory exports were hurt by a strong currency and slower growth in the U.S., the biggest buyer of the country’s goods. July’s growth wasn’t fast enough to fulfill the central bank’s quarterly forecast, economists said. Read more » »

He might have been joking when he offered to blow up the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, but federal Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn says he’s serious about streamlining the process of approving new mining projects.

The Vancouver Island MP told the B.C. Association for Mineral Exploration on Friday he’s committed to a timely, one-stop regulatory approach, hopefully with the co-operation of the provinces and territories.

“We should have specific stated time lines for these approval processes,” Lunn said.

Fisheries is a favourite target for resource companies who want the Fisheries Act changed to give bureaucrats less power to turn down projects when they present little or no threat to fish habitat. Read more » »

The Underground Mining Training Center at Montana Tech has closed after running out of cash.

The program, funded with a $1.6 million federal grant, graduated 33 students before shutting down last April, said Pete Knudsen, dean of the school of mines at Montana Tech.

The grant was approved in 2001 with the backing of U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., and was administered through the Department of Labor.

The grant targeted displaced workers in Montana, many of whom came from the logging industry. Its goal was to provide would-be miners 15 weeks of training to give them an advantage when job hunting. Read more » »