Hypothetically, if you needed large amounts of a non-magical element moved, could an elemental spirit control it? It's not listed as a power, but it seems like it might be an innate ability for a being made of the material. For instance, could a tame fire elemental who had materialized ignite normal fires without using an elemental attack power? Could it extinguish fires, or influence the way the flame spreads? Could it draw a fire into itself and leave the extinguished fuel behind? Could a water elemental dry your clothes? Could an earth elemental *ahem* tunnel under a 15' wall with laser cannons mounted at regular intervals and watcher spirits patrolling above? I ask merely for the pursuit of science, and not to address any particular strategic or tactical concern that might get my team wiped in the next twenty-four hours.

Kind of sound logical to me. I would say they can controll it to a degree, but the tunneling thing seems a bit overpowered.

Yes and no. Its all about what you can convince your ref to roll with. There are fluff rather crunch considerations.

...wait, what?

By the rules none of the elementals has the power to move their element. At all. They have some pretty good stats, but you'll need to give that Earth Elemental a shovel (and perhaps teach him to use it).

Then again by the rules elementals are subject to drowning (even water). Fire elemantals can be burned to death (in fact on low force fire elementals its downright trivial to do so).

How far your game make them subject to such things and other increasingly less silly things is a matter to bring up with you GM.

I suppose I should clarify:

I as a GM do NOT allow elementals to control thier respective element aside from their powers that do so. I do allow them to pass though it more easily. (Earth elementals can "tunnel" at a slow walk - but leave no path for you to follow, its more like swimming in earth. EDIT - it is also fairly obvious where they are doing it - the earth displaces and sudders, it is not a steath option).
Why? You ask.

Because they are already really F---ing good without puting more tricks in their arsenal.

The Fluff being referered to is several places where earth elementals (and their ilk) are being used in constrution to build tunnels "quickly and cheaply" and similar referances scattered about.
This kind of generic "Elemental mastery" trick I have allowed - on Great Form spirits as an optional power to be purchased with a good number of successes on the invocking test.