Heavy equipment maker Caterpillar Inc. said on Friday that earnings in the latest quarter rose, but results fell short of analysts’ expectations as the growth of its lucrative mining sales slowed, and its shares sank as much as 8 percent in premarket electronic trading.
The company forecast that 2007 revenue could be flat to up only [...]

Gastar Exploration Ltd. has announced that a ten well coal bed methane drilling program has been commenced on its 1.0 million gross acre Exploration License 4416 (EL 4416) in the Gippsland Basin located in Victoria, Australia. Gastar has committed and funded approximately $6.5 million for its 75% interest in the 10 CBM wells, which are [...]

GILLETTE, Wyo. - Increasing demand and production, impending retirements and an eye toward future growth that includes two new mines has area coal mines hiring at clip not seen in years.
The 14 mines within an hour’s drive of Gillette have combined to hire 1,000 more mine workers over the past three years, according to Mine [...]

Oil and gas producer Occidental Petroleum Corp. said Wednesday its third-quarter earnings fell 33 percent from year-ago results that included hefty one-time gains.
The latest results were just above Wall Street estimates, however.
“Sharply higher crude oil prices and a strong performance from our chemicals business were key drivers in our financial performance in the quarter,” said [...]

Australian uranium explorer UraniumSA is the latest company trying to capitalise on investors’ demand for the radioactive metal. The company is expected to list on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) later this year.
UraniumSA has struck a joint venture with Australian listed Marathon Resources for exploration over three of the latter company’s central Gawler Craton tenements [...]

Uranium Oil and Gas Ltd, a minerals company targeting a broad range of commodities including uranium and oil has not begun public life the way it might have hoped.
Despite having uranium projects in its portfolio, the company’s shares opened in negative territory at 18.5 cents, down from an initial public offer price of 20 cents, [...]

Iberdrola SA, the world’s largest owner of wind-power plants, bought U.S. energy developers MREC Partners and Midwest Renewable Energy Projects LLC, as the company seeks to capitalize on rebounding alternative energy in the U.S.
Iberdrola spent more than 30 million euros ($38 million) for the companies, which have a combined pipeline of 1,600 megawatts of projects [...]

After more than two years of working diligently to make an ethanol plant near Erskine a reality, Agassiz Energy, LLC is inching nearer to its goal of starting construction in April 2007. By the end of this month, the company will have taken a giant leap with two major components in the process completed.
Beginning Oct. [...]

SIERRA VISTA — The old joke about useless rocks being scientifically categorized as “Leaverites” often makes rock seller Ashton Bergstrand indignant.
But it wasn’t so offensive, the Tucson-based rock and mineral vendor added, in light of the good turnout on the first day of the Huachuca Gem & Mineral Club show Saturday. “It depends on the [...]

Since he signed an order to speed state approval for 16 coal-burning power plants, Gov. Rick Perry has received more than $100,000 in campaign contributions from interests associated with the projects.
None of the governor’s rivals in the campaign has received donations from the companies, according to finance reports.
The primary beneficiary of Mr. Perry’s order last [...]