As unrest in Libya, Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries continues to put pressure on the price of oil, the head of Imperial Oil Ltd. is backing a multi-billion-dollar expansion project to bring Canadian oilsands crude to U.S. markets. The Wall Street Journal reports: A pipeline project that's pending U.S. approval is necessary to ensure the reliability and security of oil supplies to the world's largest oil consumer, the head of Imperial Oil Ltd. (IMO) said. Imperial Oil is a Canadian company majority owned by Irving, Texas-based Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM), the world's largest publicly traded oil company.

Exploration and mining in mineral-rich Nevada could be affected, CB Online reports: The Nevada Senate passed a bill nearly unanimously Thursday that ends the authority of the state's mining and defunct sugar beet industries to invoke eminent domain to take private land for their own use. Sen. Sheila Leslie, D-Reno, who sponsored SB86, said she focused on the two industries because they represent companies that take property for private enrichment rather than for the public good.

For the second time this year, police have been called to the scene of a mining-related death in Timmins, Ontario. According to a report in The Timmins Times, a 57-year-old man died Thursday morning in an accident at Goldcorp's Hoyle Pond gold mine in Timmins. Paramedics were dispatched to the Hoyle Pond Mine just before the noon hour today in response to a 9-1-1 call that a miner suffered a serious injury after being struck by a piece of heavy equipment underground near the 1400 level.

AMG Advanced Metallurgical Group N.V. (“AMG,” EURONEXT AMSTERDAM: “AMG”) through its Advanced Materials Division, entered into supply agreements with traditional customers for […]

Minera Andes Inc. (TSX:MAI) unearthed 7.5 kilometres of new new high-grade silver/gold veins at its San Jose Mine, Argentina, during exploratory drilling in 2010, the company reported on Thursday. The new veins represent a 44% increase in the cumulative strike length of all veins known at the mine at the end of 2009.

Anglesey Mining's 41%-owned Labrador Iron Mines Holdings Limited (TSX: LIM) has entered into a life of mine transportation contract with Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway for transporting iron ore from LIM's DSO iron ore projects near Schefferville. The contract provides that QNS&L will carry LIM's iron ore from Emeril Junction, Newfoundland and Labrador, to Sept-
les Junction, Quebec, on the QNS& L Railway. The railway already carries iron ore for Iron Ore Company of Canada, Wabush Mines and Consolidated Thompson's (now Cliffs Resources) Bloom Lake Mine.

Aurizon Minerals has reported a 44% increase in mineral reserves at its Casa Berardi mine in northwestern Quebec. That brings the gold reserves to 1.457 million ounces, with 370,000 ounces available for open pit mining in the principal zones, which are open laterally.

Inmet Mining is holding firm on the proposed friendly merger with Lundin Mining, saying there are significant risks associated with the hostile Equinox offer for Lundin announced last week. Inmet continues to believe the proposed merger of equals between Inmet and Lundin to create Symterra provides superior benefits to shareholders of both Inmet and Lundin without the risks associated with the Equinox offer, Inmet stated on Thursday.

The Association of American Railroads said that freight railroads will get US$12 billion capital expenditure in 2011. The association released a state of the industry report on Wednesday, Great Expectations 2011. Capital expenditure is rising to keep up with demand for services, namely grain and coal transport.