Emissions from Canada's oilsands are unlikely to make a large contribution to global warming compared to the burning of coal, says a leading climate change researcher.

The salaries that high school grads can pull in from mining has at least one Idaho teacher considering a mid-life career change.

As hearings into the Northern Gateway pipeline continue, Enbridge, the company behind the $5.5 billion project to transport oilsands crude 1,170 kilometres from Brudenheim, Alberta to a new marine terminal in Kitimat, says it would consider moving the pipeline terminus to another location further north.

Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin say the controversial practice of "hydraulic fracturing," or "fracking", may not be to blame for environmental problems such as water contamination.

Peruvians in the northern region of Cajamarca are not giving up easily in their fight over Newmont Mining's proposed Conga copper-gold mine.

Finning, Caterpillar's largest equipment dealer, reported record revenues for the fourth quarter and full-year 2011 on the back of highest-ever equipment sales in each region.

Talks between the Ecuadorian government and Kinross Gold have stalled over the country's largest mine, Fruta del Norte.

Hecla Mining reported the largest resource calculation in company history today with 148 million ounces of silver reserves and 281 million ounces of resources. The silver numbers represented a 4% increase in reserves and a 13% bump in resources. Hecla also noted a 33% increase in gold resources to 597,600 ounces, while lead and zinc increased a respective 21% and 26%.

Canadian gold producer Agnico-Eagle Mines reported a $604 million loss in the fourth quarter after writing down its Meadowbank mine in Nunavut, northern Canada.

Arizona congressman Paul Gosar (R-Flagstaff), during a hearing today on the Department of the Interior's 2013 budget, took the opportunity to question Interior Secretary Ken Salazar on his department's opposition to a bill clearing the way for the proposed Resolution Copper mine near Superior, Arizona.

Surface coal mining on Cape Breton Island, on the East Coast of Canada, has been under a moratorium for the last six years, but a report due out next month could revive a dormant industry in what was once an important coal-mining hub.

Despite a drop in net income in the fourth quarter, Cliffs Natural Resources (NYSE:CLF) is reporting a record profit of $1.6 billion, or $11.48 a share - a 59% increase from a year ago.