SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Schedule of asset classification and estimated useful life

The Company depreciates and amortizes the cost of these assets, using the straight-line method as follows:



Asset Classification		Estimated Useful Life
Buildings and building improvements
Buildings		30–40 years
Land, leasehold and building improvements		5–40 years
Camp equipment		12–15 years
Vehicles		3–12 years
Equipment
Capitalized software and computer equipment		3 years
Solar equipment		20 years
Containers and railcars		15–20 years
All other equipment		8–10 years
Furniture and fixtures		5–8 years

Property, plant and equipment consisted of the following (in thousands):



	December 31,		December 31,
	2012		2011
Land	$	106,037	$	37,185
Asset retirement costs (non-landfill)	10,450		2,529
Landfill assets	77,952		58,466
Buildings and improvements	329,617		189,445
Camp equipment	135,827		110,242
Vehicles	385,172		231,980
Equipment	1,061,090		729,154
Furniture and fixtures	6,757		3,759
Construction in progress	31,780		24,522
	2,144,682		1,387,282
Less - accumulated depreciation and amortization	612,919		483,335
Total property, plant and equipment, net	$	1,531,763	$	903,947

Schedule of Property, Plant and Equipment, Landfill Assets [Table Text Block]

As of December 31, 2012, the Company had 11 active landfill sites (including the Company's two non-commercial landfills), which have estimated remaining lives (based on anticipated waste volumes and remaining highly probable airspace) as follows:



		Remaining Lives (Years)	Remaining Highly Probable Airspace (cubic yards) (in thousands)
Facility Name	Location	Remaining Lives (Years)	Permitted	Unpermitted	Total
Altair	Texas	13	848	—	848
Buttonwillow	California	29	8,065	—	8,065
Deer Park	Texas	9	371	—	371
Deer Trail	Colorado	42	2,123	—	2,123
Grassy Mountain	Utah	24	2,130	—	2,130
Kimball	Nebraska	12	309	—	309
Lambton	Ontario	64	72	6,212	6,284
Lone Mountain	Oklahoma	16	3,323	—	3,323
Ryley	Alberta	4	758	—	758
Sawyer	North Dakota	11	2,700	—	2,700
Westmorland	California	64	2,732	—	2,732
			23,431	6,212	29,643

Remaining Highly Probable Airspace [Table Text Block]

The following table presents the remaining highly probable airspace from January 1, 2010 through December 31, 2012 (in thousands of cubic yards):



	2012		2011		2010
Remaining capacity at January 1,	27,557		28,557		25,765
Addition of highly probable airspace	3,598		102		3,905
Consumed	(1,512	)	(1,102	)	(1,113	)
Remaining capacity at December 31,	29,643		27,557		28,557

Schedule of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Table Text Block]

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income

The components of accumulated other comprehensive income were as follows (in thousands):

Schedule of Derivative Instruments in Statement of Financial Position, Fair Value [Table Text Block]

The following table presents the fair value for those assets and liabilities measured at fair value as of December 31, 2012 (fair value amounts in thousands):



Financial Institution	Trade Date	Start Date	End Date	Barrels of oil per Month	Commodity	Floor		Cap		Upfront Costs		Fair Value as of December 31, 2012
JP Morgan	03/05/12	05/01/13	05/31/13	50,000	Brent	$	75.00	$	153.50	$	—	$	8
JP Morgan	04/10/12	06/01/13	06/30/13	148,810	Brent	75.00		146.75		—		30
JP Morgan	09/11/12	11/01/13	11/30/13	148,810	Brent	75.00		137.50		—		60
Bank of America	02/07/12	04/01/13	04/30/13	50,000	Brent	75.00		143.50		—		1
Bank of America	05/03/12	07/01/13	07/31/13	148,810	Brent	75.00		141.25		—		40
Bank of America	12/28/12	04/01/13	04/30/13	50,000	Brent	75.00		143.50		—		1
Bank of America	12/28/12	05/01/13	05/31/13	50,000	Brent	75.00		154.00		—		12
Bank of America	2/28/12	04/01/13	04/30/13	48,810	Brent	75.00		144.50		—		1
Bank of America	12/28/12	05/01/13	05/31/13	48,810	Brent	75.00		153.50		—		12
Total derivative instrument asset												$	165

JP Morgan	01/18/12	01/01/13	03/31/13	75,000	Brent	$	75.00	$	135.00			$	16
JP Morgan	12/07/12	02/01/14	02/28/14	148,810	Brent	75.00		124.70				144
Bank of America	01/18/12	01/01/13	03/31/13	25,000	Brent	75.00		135.00				5
Bank of America	08/03/12	10/01/13	10/31/13	148,810	Brent	75.00		130.00				58
Bank of America	10/04/12	12/01/13	12/31/13	148,810	Brent	75.00		127.50				96
Bank of America	11/09/12	01/01/14	01/31/14	148,810	Brent	75.00		130.00				37
Bank of America	12/28/12	01/01/13	03/31/13	48,810	Brent	75.00		135.00				10
Bank of America	12/28/12	09/01/13	09/30/13	148,810	Brent	75.00		117.80				408
Bank of America	12/28/12	08/01/13	08/31/13	148,810	Brent	75.00		116.25				468
Total derivative instrument liability												$	1,242

- Definition

Tabular disclosure of the useful life and salvage value of long-lived, physical assets that are used in the normal conduct of business to produce goods and services and not intended for resale. Examples include land, buildings, machinery and equipment, and other types of furniture and equipment including, but not limited to, office equipment, furniture and fixtures, and computer equipment and software.

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- Definition

Tabular disclosure of the location and fair value amounts of derivative instruments (and nonderivative instruments that are designated and qualify as hedging instruments) reported in the statement of financial position.

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