Carl Icahn moves two directors onto Freeport McMoran’s board

The regulatory process for Enbridge’s Northern Gateway pipeline to connect Alberta's oil sands and markets in Asia, is shaping up to make the TransCanada's Keystone XL approval look like a cake walk. Starting in January, an unprecedented 4,000-plus people – the vast majority environmental activists – will speak for a collective 650 hours at public hearings on the controversial pipeline that would stretch for 1,170km from Brudenheim in Alberta to a new marine terminal at Kitimat in northern British Columbia, Canada. The project is already almost a year behind schedule and would not go into operation in 2017 at the soonest.

The Manawatu Standard reports giant Chinese state-owned Shanxi Coal is understood to be in the running to buy New Zealand's Pike River Coal as part of a joint bid with local miner Solid Energy. Bids closed a week ago, with four players making offers, sources said. One Indian company is believed to have pulled out and another Indian company was still understood to be in the running. The state-owned mine operated by Solid Energy was put up for sale as part of a privatization programme by the New Zealand government and after an enormous methane explosion ripped through the mine near Greymouth on November 19 last year killing 29 men.

Safety in the US mining industry has made significant progress over the decades. However, the early 2010 disaster in West Virginia was the worst since 1970 and will potentially have a significant impact on mine safety legislation, similar to the MINER Act of 2006, which was a response to the Sago Mine disaster and other mine fatalities in early 2006. Generally, based on the historically elevated fatality rate, safety experts in the industry believe that the small mines have a relatively poor safety record as compared to the large mines; however, the results of a new study by the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration indicate that the opposite is likely true.

The Courier-Journal reports the Kentucky surface coal mine where two workers were killed on Friday was cited earlier this year over the stability of a highwall. The two workers were employed by a blasting crew and they were trapped in or near their truck by falling rock and earth. Several other miners at the site were injured by falling rock and debris. Armstrong, which began mining operations at Equality in the fall of 2010, utilizes two draglines and the truck-and-shovel mining methods. The mine has been closed pending an investigation.

Keystone XL should bring Canadian crude, which at the moment sells at a $30 discount, in line with global prices. At the same time a huge slice of the record profits announced this week by Chevron, ConocoPhillips and Exxon Mobil will we wiped out. Here's why.

An Australia-based coal-mining junior has struck a bargain to ship coal through Prince Rupert, BC. Coalspur Mines (TSE:CPT, ASX:CPL) said Thursday it has reached a 14-year agreement to export thermal coal from its Vista project in Alberta through Ridley Terminals in Prince Rupert. The news spiked the shares 5% on the Australian exchange Friday but caused less of a stir on the Toronto bourse, where Coalspur was down about half a percent as the trading day closed.

Rural communities in Queensland Australia are more than a little unhappy about state politicians and government agencies allowing mining firms like BHP to set up self-contained separate mining towns cut off from local communities or simply letting miners fly in and out without ever becoming part of local life.

As Occupy Wall Street protesters continue to linger around town squares across North America and Europe, precious metals commentator Peter Schiff wades into the maelstrom.

Cliffs Natural Resources vaulted to a record third quarter from a springboard of high iron ore prices combined with higher sales from its Bloom Lake operation, the company announced today. Cliffs posted a 59% increase in revenues from the same period last year, bringing in $2.1 billion. The company more than doubled (+110%) its net income in Q3 to $820 million, despite taking a $17.5 million net loss from the idling of its renewaFUEL biomass production facility in Michigan. Despite the sunny financial picture, Cliffs indicated that clouds are looming on the horizon in the markets for its principal commodities, iron ore and coal. Image of Cliffs Northshore Mine, Copyright © 2011 Cliffs Natural Resources Inc.