Long-Term Debt And Other Long-Term Liabilities (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2011	Jun. 30, 2010	Dec. 31, 2010
Credit facility maximum credit amount	$ 400,000,000
Credit facility maturity date	May 24, 2012
Commitment under the credit facility	325,000,000
Commitment fee under credit facility standard	1.00%
Origination, agency and syndication fees	1,200,000
Redetermination amount under borrowing base	532,500,000
Fixed Interest Rate Period	30, 60, 90 or 180
LIBOR interest rate plus one percent	LIBOR plus 1.00%
Outstanding borrowings	0		163,000,000
Payments of dividends exceeding percentage	25.00%
Consolidated net worth	900,000,000
Current ratio of credit facility	1 to 1
Leverage ratio of long-term debt	3.50 to 1.0.
6.625% senior subordinated notes due 2021	250,000,000		0
Interest percentage of senior subordinated notes	6.625%
Aggregate principal amount of debt	250,000,000		163,000,000
Debt instrument maturity date	2021
Proceeds from issuance of senior subordinated notes	244,035,000	0
Deducting fees for debt issuance	6,000,000
Repayment of outstanding borrowings under unsecured credit facility	220,300,000
Significant restrictions on received funds from subsidiaries	0
Percentage of maximum, aggregate principal equity amount	35.00%
Proceed from equity offerings redemption price percentage	106.625%
Minimum redemption percentage of debt outstanding	65.00%
Equal redemption price percentage of principal amount of debt	100.00%
Senior notes repurchase price in percentage	101.00%
2011	10,100,000
2012	15,300,000
2013	3,400,000
2014	2,700,000
2015	$ 2,000,000
Minimum [Member]
Commitment fee percentage under credit facility	0.375%
LIBOR plus interest rate	1.75%
Maximum [Member]
Commitment fee percentage under credit facility	0.50%
LIBOR plus interest rate	2.50%

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Estimated Annual Payments, Long Term Debt and Other Liabilities, Due in the Next Twelve Months

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Estimated Annual Payments, Long Term Debt and Other Liabilities, Due in Year Five

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Estimated Annual Payments, Long Term Debt and Other Liabilities, Due in Year Three

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Estimated Annual Payments, Long Term Debt and Other Liabilities, Due in Year Two

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Interest Rate In Addition To LIBOR

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Loan Origination Fees paid to date. These fees are being amortized over the life of the agreement.

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Credit Facility prohibits the payment of dividends over 0.25 of CNI for preceding fiscal year.

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Senior Notes Repurchase Price in Percentage for change of control

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Amount of restricted net assets of consolidated and unconsolidated subsidiaries as of the end of the most recently completed fiscal year.

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The net of assets and liabilities.

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Interest rate stated in the contractual debt agreement.

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Description of the interest rate as being fixed or variable, and, if variable, identification of the index or rate on which the interest rate is based and the number of points or percentage added to that index or rate to set the rate, and other pertinent information, such as frequency of rate resets.

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Amount borrowed under the credit facility as of the balance sheet date.

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The fee, expressed as a percentage of the line of credit facility, for the line of credit facility regardless of whether the facility has been used.

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Maximum borrowing capacity under the credit facility without consideration of any current restrictions on the amount that could be borrowed or the amounts currently outstanding under the facility.

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Disclosure of timing of required repayments, sinking fund requirements, and other redeemable securities at fixed or determinable prices and dates in the five years immediately following the date of the latest balance sheet presented in the financial statements, and the amount thereafter to fully repay the principal of long-term debt. These disclosures may be made either on an individual debt or security basis, by type of debt or security basis, or on a combined basis.

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Sum of the carrying values as of the balance sheet date of all long-term debt, which is debt initially having maturities due after one year from the balance sheet date or beyond the operating cycle, if longer, but excluding the portions thereof scheduled to be repaid within one year (current maturities) or the normal operating cycle, if longer, and after deducting unamortized discount or premiums, if any.

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The total of the cash outflow during the period which has been paid to third parties in connection with debt origination, which will be amortized over the remaining maturity period of the associated long-term debt and the cost incurred directly for the issuance of equity securities.

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The cash inflow from a borrowing where a lender is placed in a lien position behind debt having a higher priority of repayment (senior) in liquidation of the entity's assets or underlying collateral.

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