Property, Plant and Equipment (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

Notes to Financial Statements [Abstract]

Collaborative Arrangement Disclosure [Text Block]

In 2011, CONSOL Energy entered into two significant industry participation agreements (also referred to as "joint ventures" or "JVs") that provided drilling and completion carries for our retained interests. The following table provides information about our industry participation agreements as of December 31, 2011:

	Industry	Industry			Drilling
	Participation	Participation	Total		Carries		Drilling
Shale	Agreement	Agreement	Drilling		Billed to		Carries
Play	Partner	Date	Carries		Partner		Remaining
Marcellus	Noble	September 30, 2011	$	2,100,000	$	10,180	$	2,089,820
Utica	Hess	October 21, 2011	$	534,000	$	1,200	$	532,800

Property, Plant and Equipment

	December 31,
	2011		2010
Coal and other plant and equipment	$	5,160,759	$	5,100,085
Proven gas properties	1,542,837		1,662,605
Coal properties and surface lands	1,340,757		1,292,701
Intangible drilling cost	1,277,678		1,116,884
Unproven gas properties	1,258,027		2,206,399
Gas gathering equipment	963,494		941,772
Airshafts	659,736		662,315
Leased coal lands	540,817		536,603
Mine development	457,179		587,518
Gas wells and related equipment	408,814		367,448
Coal advance mining royalties	393,340		389,379
Other gas assets	79,816		84,571
Gas advance royalties	4,065		3,078
Total property, plant and equipment	14,087,319		14,951,358
Less Accumulated depreciation, depletion and amortization	4,760,903		4,822,107
Total Net Property, Plant and Equipment	$	9,326,416	$	10,129,251

Schedule of Amortization Expense Per Unit of Production [Table Text Block]

	December 31,
	2011		2010
Unproven gas properties	$	1,258,027	$	2,206,399
Coal properties	386,402		394,635
Leased coal lands	178,988		171,056
Mine development	78,990		34,907
Coal advance mining royalties	54,533		67,674
Airshafts	47,437		73,703
Gas advance royalties	3,884		2,800
Total	$	2,008,261	$	2,951,174