PROPERTIES AND EQUIPMENT

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]

Capitalized Costs Relating to Oil and Gas Producing Activities Disclosure [Text Block]

PROPERTIES AND EQUIPMENT

	As of December 31,
	2011			2010
	(in thousands)
Properties and equipment, net:
Natural gas and crude oil properties
Proved	$	1,694,694		$	1,362,491
Unproved	102,466			33,740
Total natural gas and crude oil properties	1,797,160			1,396,231
Pipelines and related facilities	40,721			34,262
Transportation and other equipment	32,475			32,382
Land and buildings	14,572			13,379
Construction in progress	69,633			42,128
	1,954,561			1,518,382
Accumulated DD&A	(652,845		)	(509,712		)
Properties and equipment, net	$	1,301,716		$	1,008,670

Suspended Well Costs

The following table presents the capitalized exploratory well costs pending determination of proved reserves and included in properties and equipment on the balance sheets.

	2011			2010			2009
	(in thousands, except for number of wells)
Balance beginning of year, January 1	$	2,297		$	1,174		$	1,180
Deconsolidation of PDCM and change in ownership interest	—			(462		)	—
Additions to capitalized exploratory well costs
pending the determination of proved reserves	3,692			4,353			10,226
Reclassifications to wells, facilities and equipment
based on the determination of proved reserves	(1,557		)	(2,231		)	(9,914		)
Capitalized exploratory well costs charged to expense	—			(537		)	(318		)
Balance end of year, December 31	$	4,432		$	2,297		$	1,174
Number of wells pending determination at December 31	6			3			2

As of December 31, 2011, there were two wells pending determination of proved reserves that had been capitalized for a period greater than one year after the completion of drilling. One well, located in the Wattenberg Field, has been utilized as a monitoring well in the early stages of our horizontal Niobrara program and will be tested in several zones during 2012, since the monitoring process has been completed. The second well, located in the Appalachian Basin, is expected to be tested in 2012 when feasible. Total capitalized costs related to these wells were $0.5 million and $0.6 million as of December 31, 2011, respectively. There were no exploratory well costs that were capitalized for a period greater than one year after the completion of drilling as of December 31, 2010 and 2009.