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&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&lt;b&gt;3. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Cash and cash equivalents consist of cash in banks and investments readily convertible into cash, which have original maturities within three months at the date of acquisition. Cash equivalents are stated at cost, which approximates market value. Restricted cash consists of monies of third parties being held by Cimarex as operator of a property in Oklahoma, until ownership disputes among the third parties are resolved. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Short-term Investments &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Our short-term investments consisted of investments in an asset-backed securities fund. The investments were classified as available-for-sale and were carried at fair value in our balance sheet. Unrealized holding gains and losses were reported in other comprehensive income (loss). We liquidated our remaining short-term investments in September, 2009. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Oil and Gas Well Equipment and Supplies &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Our oil and gas well equipment and supplies are valued at the lower of cost or market using weighted average cost. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Oil and Gas Properties &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;We use the full cost method of accounting for our oil and gas operations. All costs associated with property acquisition, exploration, and development activities are capitalized. Exploration and development costs include dry hole costs, geological and geophysical costs, direct overhead related to exploration and development activities, and other costs incurred for the purpose of finding oil and gas reserves. Salaries and benefits paid to employees directly involved in the exploration and development of properties, as well as other internal costs that can be directly identified with acquisition, exploration, and development activities, are also capitalized. Under the full cost method of accounting, no gain or loss is recognized upon the disposition of oil and gas properties unless such disposition would significantly alter the relationship between capitalized costs and proved reserves. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;At the end of each quarter, we make a full cost ceiling limitation calculation, whereby net capitalized costs related to proved properties less associated deferred income taxes may not exceed the amount of the present value discounted at ten percent of estimated future net revenues from proved reserves less estimated future production and development costs and related income tax expense. Future net revenues used in the calculation of the full cost ceiling limitation have previously been determined based on current oil and gas prices and are adjusted for designated cash flow hedges. For year-end 2009, new SEC rules were implemented requiring reserve calculations to be based on the unweighted average first-day-of-the-month prices for the prior twelve months. Changes in proved reserve estimates (whether based upon quantity revisions or oil and gas prices) will cause corresponding changes to the full cost ceiling limitation. If net capitalized costs subject to amortization exceed this limit, the excess would be charged to expense. Any recorded impairment of oil and gas properties is not reversible at a later date. In prior periods we used prices in effect at period end. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Due to a significant decrease in period end commodity prices in 2008 our ceiling limitation calculations resulted in excess capitalized costs of $2.2&amp;nbsp;billion ($1.4&amp;nbsp;billion, net of tax), for which we recorded a non-cash impairment of oil and gas properties. As a result of further declines in natural gas and oil prices, we recorded an additional non-cash impairment of oil and gas properties of $791.1&amp;nbsp;million ($501.8&amp;nbsp;million after tax) in the first quarter of 2009. The Company's quarterly and annual ceiling test has been primarily impacted by commodity prices, reserve quantities added and produced, overall exploration and development costs and depletion expense. Holding all factors constant other than commodity prices, a 10% decline in prices as of December&amp;nbsp;31, 2009 would not have resulted in a ceiling test impairment. Changes in actual reserve quantities added and produced along with our actual overall exploration and development costs will determine the Company's actual ceiling test calculation and impairment analyses. Decreases in commodity prices can also impact our goodwill impairment analyses. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Depletion of proved oil and gas properties is computed on the units-of-production method, whereby capitalized costs, as adjusted for future development costs and asset retirement obligations, are amortized over the total estimated proved reserves. The costs of wells in progress and certain unevaluated properties are not being amortized. On a quarterly basis, we evaluate such costs for inclusion in the costs to be amortized resulting from the determination of proved reserves, impairments, or reductions in value. To the extent that the evaluation indicates these properties are impaired, the amount of the impairment is added to the capitalized costs to be amortized. Expenditures for maintenance and repairs are charged to production expense in the period incurred. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Goodwill&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;At December&amp;nbsp;31, 2009, we had $691.4&amp;nbsp;million of goodwill recorded in conjunction with past business combinations. Goodwill is subject to annual reviews for impairment based on a two-step accounting test. The first step is to compare the estimated fair value of the Company with the recorded net book value (including goodwill), after giving effect to any period impairment of oil and gas properties resulting from the ceiling limitation calculation. If the estimated fair value is higher than the recorded net book value, no impairment is deemed to exist and no further testing is required. If, however, the estimated fair value is below the recorded net book value, then a second step must be performed to determine the goodwill impairment required, if any. In this second step, the estimated fair value from the first step is used as the purchase price in a hypothetical acquisition of the Company. Purchase business combination accounting rules are followed to determine a hypothetical purchase price allocation to the Company's assets and liabilities. The residual amount of goodwill that results from this hypothetical purchase price allocation is compared to the recorded amount of goodwill and the recorded amount is written down to the hypothetical amount, if lower. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;We perform our annual goodwill impairment review in the fourth quarter of each year. Management must apply judgment in determining the estimated fair value of the Company for purposes of performing the annual goodwill impairment test. As of December&amp;nbsp;31, 2009, the market price per share of our common stock was greater than the book value by $28 per share. Due to volatility in the stock markets, management does not consider the market value of our shares to be an accurate reflection of our net assets for impairment purposes. To estimate the fair value of the Company, we use all available information, including the present values of expected future cash flows using discount rates commensurate with the risks involved in the assets. This estimated fair value differs significantly from the valuation used in the ceiling limitation calculation which requires that prices and costs be held constant over the life of the wells and are discounted at 10&amp;nbsp;percent. The ceiling calculation is not intended to be indicative of fair value. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;In estimating the fair value of our oil and gas properties for our goodwill impairment analysis, we used projected future prices based on the NYMEX strip index at December&amp;nbsp;31, 2009 (adjusted for estimated delivery point price differentials). As of December&amp;nbsp;31, 2009, the fair value exceeds the carrying value of our net assets. Should lower prices or quantities result in the future, or higher discount rates be necessary, the carrying value of our net assets may exceed the estimated fair value, resulting in an impairment of goodwill. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Revenue Recognition &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li style="list-style: none"&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&lt;i&gt;Oil and Gas Sales &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Revenues from oil and gas sales are based on the sales method, with revenue recognized on actual volumes sold to purchasers. There is a ready market for oil and gas, with sales occurring soon after production. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li style="list-style: none"&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&lt;i&gt;Marketing Sales &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;We market and sell natural gas for working interest partners under short term sales and supply agreements and earn a fee for such services. Revenues are recognized as gas is delivered and are reflected net of gas purchases on the consolidated statement of operations. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li style="list-style: none"&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&lt;i&gt;Gas Imbalances &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;We use the sales method of accounting for gas imbalances. Under this method, revenue is recorded on the basis of gas actually sold. Oil and gas reserves are adjusted to the extent there are sufficient quantities of natural gas to make up an imbalance. In situations where there are insufficient reserves available to make-up an overproduced imbalance, then a liability is established. The natural gas imbalance liability at December&amp;nbsp;31, 2009 and 2008 was $4.3&amp;nbsp;million and $3.5&amp;nbsp;million, respectively. At December&amp;nbsp;31, 2009 and 2008, we were also in an under-produced position relative to certain other third parties.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Oil and Gas Reserves &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;The process of estimating quantities of oil and gas reserves is complex, requiring significant decisions in the evaluation of all available geological, geophysical, engineering and economic data. The data for a given field may also change substantially over time as a result of numerous factors including, but not limited to, additional development activity, evolving production history and continual reassessment of the viability of production under varying economic conditions. As a result, material revisions to existing reserve estimates may occur from time to time. Although every reasonable effort is made to ensure that reserve estimates reported represent the most accurate assessments possible, subjective decisions and available data for our various fields make these estimates generally less precise than other estimates included in financial statement disclosures. For 2009, positive revisions resulted from positive performance and reductions in operating costs offset by lower prices. See Note&amp;nbsp;17, Unaudited Supplemental Oil and Gas Disclosures for more reserve information. Estimations of proved undeveloped reserves can be subject to an even greater possibility of revision. At year-end, 23&amp;nbsp;percent of our total proved reserves are categorized as proved undeveloped. Of these proved undeveloped reserves, a significant percentage are related to our project in Wyoming and our Western Oklahoma, Cana-Woodford shale play. Our reserve engineers review and revise our reserve estimates regularly, as new information becomes available. As further discussed in &lt;/font&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&lt;i&gt;Recently Issued Accounting Standards&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;, the SEC and FASB amended oil and gas reporting requirements effective December&amp;nbsp;31, 2009. The impact to Cimarex was minimal, apart from the change to a new standard using 12&amp;nbsp;month average pricing rather than prices in effect at the end of a period. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;We use the units-of-production method to amortize the cost of our oil and gas properties. Changes in reserve quantities and commodity prices will cause corresponding changes in depletion expense in periods subsequent to these changes, or in some cases, a full cost ceiling limitation charge in the period of the revision.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Transportation Costs &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Amounts paid for transportation are classified as an operating expense and are not netted against gas sales. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Derivatives &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Our derivative contracts are recorded on the balance sheet at fair value. The accounting treatment for the changes in fair value is dependent upon whether or not a derivative instrument is designated as a hedge for accounting treatment purposes. Realized and unrealized gains and losses on derivatives that are not designated as hedges are recognized currently in costs and expenses associated with operating income in our consolidated statements of operations. For derivatives designated as cash flow hedges, changes in the fair value, to the extent the hedge is effective, are recognized in other comprehensive income (loss) until the hedged item is settled. Changes in the fair value of the hedge resulting from ineffectiveness are recognized currently as unrealized gains or losses in other income and expense in the consolidated statements of operations. Gains and losses upon settlement of the cash flow hedges are recognized in gas revenues in the period the contracts are settled. Cash settlements of our derivative contracts are included in cash flows from operating activities in our statements of cash flows. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Our derivative contracts outstanding during 2007 and 2008 were designated as cash flow hedges. Accordingly, the realized gains or losses upon settlement of the 2007 and 2008 contracts were reflected in gas revenue as an adjustment to the realized sales price. In 2007 and 2008, unrealized gains and losses were recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income. At December&amp;nbsp;31, 2008, there were no remaining contracts outstanding. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;During 2009, we entered into additional derivative contracts which cover a portion of our anticipated production through December 2010. We did not choose to apply hedge accounting treatment to any of the contracts we have entered into in the current year. As such, settlements on these contracts will not impact our realized commodity prices during the periods they cover. Instead, any settlements on these contracts will be shown as a component of operating costs and expenses as a realized (gain) loss on derivative instruments. See Note&amp;nbsp;4 for additional information regarding our derivative instruments. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Income Taxes &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Deferred income taxes are computed using the liability method. Deferred income taxes are provided on all temporary differences between the financial basis and the tax basis of assets and liabilities. Valuation allowances are established to reduce deferred tax assets to an amount that more likely than not will be realized. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;We account for uncertainty in our income tax provisions in accordance with rules promulgated by the FASB. At December&amp;nbsp;31, 2009 we have no unrecognized tax benefits that would impact our effective rate and we have made no provisions for interest or penalties related to uncertain tax provisions. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Contingencies &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;A provision for contingencies is charged to expense when the loss is probable and the cost can be reasonably estimated. Determining when expenses should be recorded for these contingencies and the appropriate amounts for accrual is a complex estimation process that includes subjective judgment. In many cases, this judgment is based on interpretation of laws and regulations, which can be interpreted differently by regulators and/or courts of law. We closely monitor known and potential legal, environmental, and other contingencies and periodically determine when we should record losses for these items based on information available to us.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;In January 2009, the Tulsa County District Court issued a judgment in the H.B. Krug, et al versus Helmerich&amp;nbsp;&amp;amp; Payne,&amp;nbsp;Inc. ("H&amp;amp;P") case. This lawsuit was originally filed in 1998 and addressed H&amp;amp;P's conduct pertaining to a 1989 take-or-pay settlement, along with potential drainage issues and other related matters. Damages of $6.9&amp;nbsp;million, plus $119.5&amp;nbsp;million for disgorgement of H&amp;amp;P's estimated potential compounded profit since 1989 resulting from the noted damages, were awarded to plaintiff royalty owners for a total of $126.4&amp;nbsp;million. This amount was subsequently adjusted by the court to a total of $119.6&amp;nbsp;million. Pursuant to the 2002 spin-off transaction to shareholders of H&amp;amp;P by which Cimarex became a publicly-traded entity, Cimarex assumed the assets and liabilities of H&amp;amp;P's exploration and production business. In 2008 we had accrued litigation expense of $119.6&amp;nbsp;million for this lawsuit. During 2009, we have accrued an additional $9.4&amp;nbsp;million. We have appealed the District Court's judgments. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;In the normal course of business, we have other various litigation related matters. We assess the probability of estimable amounts related to litigation matters in accordance with guidance established by the FASB and adjust our accruals accordingly. For the year 2009, we had approximately $10.0&amp;nbsp;million of such expenses. Though some of the related claims may be significant, the resolution of them we believe, individually or in the aggregate, would not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Asset Retirement Obligations &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;We recognize the fair value of a liability for an asset retirement obligation in the period in which it is incurred if a reasonable estimate of fair value can be made, and the associated asset retirement costs are capitalized as part of the carrying amount of the long-lived asset. Oil and gas producing companies incur this liability which includes costs related to the plugging of wells, the removal of facilities and equipment, and site restorations, upon acquiring or drilling a successful well. Subsequent to initial measurement, the asset retirement liability is required to be accreted each period. Capitalized costs are depleted as a component of the full cost pool. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Stock Options &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Effective January&amp;nbsp;1, 2005, we adopted FASB guidance on share based payments on a modified prospective basis. We recognize in the income statement the grant-date fair value of stock options and other equity-based compensation to employees. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Earnings per Share &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;In 2008, the FASB issued new guidance which holds that unvested share-based payment awards that contain non-forfeitable rights to dividends or dividend equivalents are "participating securities" (as defined as securities that may participate in undistributed earnings with common stock, whether that participation is conditioned upon the occurrence of a specified event or not, regardless of the form of participation), and therefore should be included in computing earnings per share using the two-class earnings allocation method. The two-class method is an earnings allocation formula that determines earnings per share for each class of common stock and participating security according to dividends declared (or accumulated) and participation rights in undistributed earnings. The guidance became effective for financial statements issued in fiscal years beginning after December&amp;nbsp;15, 2008, and for interim periods within those years. The requirements are to be applied by recasting previously reported earnings per share data. Under this guidance, our unvested share based payment awards, consisting of restricted stock and restricted stock units, qualify as participating securities. We adopted this guidance in the first quarter of 2009.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Comprehensive Income (Loss) &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Comprehensive income is a term used to refer to net income plus other comprehensive income (loss). Other comprehensive income (loss) is comprised of revenues, expenses, gains, and losses that under generally accepted accounting principles are reported as separate components of shareholders' equity instead of net income.The components of other comprehensive income (loss) are as follows (in 000's): &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0pt; PADDING-LEFT: 0pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 20%; WIDTH: 60%; PADDING-TOP: 0pt; POSITION: relative"&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&lt;!-- COMMAND=ADD_TABLEWIDTH,"100%" --&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;!-- User-specified TAGGED TABLE --&gt;
&lt;div align="center"&gt;
&lt;table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%" border="0"&gt;
&lt;tr style="HEIGHT: 0px"&gt;&lt;!-- TABLE COLUMN WIDTHS SET --&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" align="left"&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" width="12"&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" align="right" width="7"&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" width="70"&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" width="12"&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" align="right" width="7"&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" width="72"&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" width="12"&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" align="right" width="7"&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" width="72"&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" width="12"&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;!-- TABLE COLUMN WIDTHS END --&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style="HEIGHT: 0px" valign="bottom"&gt;
&lt;th style="FONT-FAMILY: times" align="left"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;th style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="1"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;th style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1pt solid; FONT-FAMILY: times" align="center" colspan="2"&gt;&lt;font size="1"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Net&lt;br /&gt;
Unrealized&lt;br /&gt;
Gain on&lt;br /&gt;
Derivative&lt;br /&gt;
Instruments(1) &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;th style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="1"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;th style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1pt solid; FONT-FAMILY: times" align="center" colspan="2"&gt;&lt;font size="1"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Net&lt;br /&gt;
Unrealized&lt;br /&gt;
Gain (or Loss)&lt;br /&gt;
On Short-Term&lt;br /&gt;
Investments&lt;br /&gt;
and Other(1) &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;th style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="1"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;th style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1pt solid; FONT-FAMILY: times" align="center" colspan="2"&gt;&lt;font size="1"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Accumulated&lt;br /&gt;
Other&lt;br /&gt;
Comprehensive&lt;br /&gt;
Income (Loss)&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;th style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="1"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/th&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style="HEIGHT: 0px" valign="top" bgcolor="#CCEEFF"&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;
&lt;p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 10pt; TEXT-INDENT: -10pt; FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;Balance at January&amp;nbsp;1, 2007&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;$&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;30,954&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;$&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;127&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;$&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;31,081&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style="HEIGHT: 0px" valign="top" bgcolor="white"&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;
&lt;p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 10pt; TEXT-INDENT: -10pt; FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;2007 activity&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;(23,302&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;)&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;(153&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;)&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;(23,455&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;)&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style="FONT-SIZE: 1.5pt; HEIGHT: 0px" valign="top"&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1pt solid; FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right" colspan="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1pt solid; FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right" colspan="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1pt solid; FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right" colspan="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style="HEIGHT: 0px" valign="top" bgcolor="#CCEEFF"&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;
&lt;p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 10pt; TEXT-INDENT: -10pt; FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;Balance at December&amp;nbsp;31, 2007&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;$&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;7,652&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;$&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;(26&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;)&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;$&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;7,626&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style="HEIGHT: 0px" valign="top" bgcolor="white"&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;
&lt;p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 10pt; TEXT-INDENT: -10pt; FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;2008 activity&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;(7,652&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;)&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;(929&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;)&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;(8,581&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;)&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style="FONT-SIZE: 1.5pt; HEIGHT: 0px" valign="top"&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1pt solid; FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right" colspan="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1pt solid; FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right" colspan="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1pt solid; FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right" colspan="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style="HEIGHT: 0px" valign="top" bgcolor="#CCEEFF"&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;
&lt;p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 10pt; TEXT-INDENT: -10pt; FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;Balance at December&amp;nbsp;31, 2008&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;$&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;#151;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;$&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;(955&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;)&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;$&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;(955&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;)&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style="HEIGHT: 0px" valign="top" bgcolor="white"&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;
&lt;p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 10pt; TEXT-INDENT: -10pt; FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;2009 activity&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;#151;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;936&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;936&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style="FONT-SIZE: 1.5pt; HEIGHT: 0px" valign="top"&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1pt solid; FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right" colspan="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1pt solid; FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right" colspan="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1pt solid; FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right" colspan="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style="HEIGHT: 0px" valign="top" bgcolor="#CCEEFF"&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;
&lt;p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 10pt; TEXT-INDENT: -10pt; FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;Balance at December&amp;nbsp;31, 2009&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;$&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;#151;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;$&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;(19&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;)&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;$&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;(19&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;)&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style="FONT-SIZE: 1.5pt; HEIGHT: 0px" valign="top"&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 2.25pt double; FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right" colspan="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 2.25pt double; FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right" colspan="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 2.25pt double; FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right" colspan="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
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&lt;div style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0pt; PADDING-LEFT: 0pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 20%; PADDING-TOP: 0pt; POSITION: relative; TEXT-ALIGN: left"&gt;&lt;!-- COMMAND=ADD_LINERULETXT,NOSHADE  COLOR="#000000" SIZE="1.0PT" WIDTH="26%" ALIGN="LEFT" --&gt;
&lt;hr style="COLOR: #000000" align="left" width="26%" noshade="noshade" size="1" /&gt;
&lt;dl compact="compact"&gt;
&lt;dt style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: -11pt; FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;(1)&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/dt&gt;
&lt;dd style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;Net of tax&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/dd&gt;&lt;/dl&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;The table below sets forth the changes in the Company's unrealized gains on derivative instruments included as a component of comprehensive income (loss) for the years ended December&amp;nbsp;31, 2009 and 2008 (in 000's): &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0pt; PADDING-LEFT: 0pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 20%; WIDTH: 60%; PADDING-TOP: 0pt; POSITION: relative"&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&lt;!-- COMMAND=ADD_TABLEWIDTH,"100%" --&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;!-- User-specified TAGGED TABLE --&gt;
&lt;div align="center"&gt;
&lt;table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%" border="0"&gt;
&lt;tr style="HEIGHT: 0px"&gt;&lt;!-- TABLE COLUMN WIDTHS SET --&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" align="left"&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" width="12"&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" align="right" width="7"&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" width="25"&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" width="12"&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" align="right" width="7"&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" width="50"&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" width="12"&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;!-- TABLE COLUMN WIDTHS END --&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style="HEIGHT: 0px" valign="bottom"&gt;
&lt;th style="FONT-FAMILY: times" align="left"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;th style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="1"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;th style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1pt solid; FONT-FAMILY: times" align="center" colspan="2"&gt;&lt;font size="1"&gt;&lt;b&gt;2009 &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;th style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="1"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;th style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1pt solid; FONT-FAMILY: times" align="center" colspan="2"&gt;&lt;font size="1"&gt;&lt;b&gt;2008 &lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;th style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="1"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/th&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style="HEIGHT: 0px" valign="bottom" bgcolor="#CCEEFF"&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;
&lt;p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 10pt; TEXT-INDENT: -10pt; FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;Unrealized derivative gain in comprehensive income at January&amp;nbsp;1,&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;$&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;#151;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;$&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;12,088&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style="HEIGHT: 0px" valign="bottom" bgcolor="white"&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;
&lt;p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 10pt; TEXT-INDENT: -10pt; FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;Change in fair value&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;#151;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;(851&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;)&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style="HEIGHT: 0px" valign="bottom" bgcolor="#CCEEFF"&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;
&lt;p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 10pt; TEXT-INDENT: -10pt; FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;Reclassification of net gains to income&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;#151;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;(11,272&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;)&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style="HEIGHT: 0px" valign="bottom" bgcolor="white"&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;
&lt;p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 10pt; TEXT-INDENT: -10pt; FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;Net ineffectiveness&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;#151;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;35&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style="FONT-SIZE: 1.5pt; HEIGHT: 0px" valign="top"&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1pt solid; FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right" colspan="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1pt solid; FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right" colspan="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style="HEIGHT: 0px" valign="bottom" bgcolor="#CCEEFF"&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;
&lt;p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 10pt; TEXT-INDENT: -10pt; FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;#151;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;#151;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style="HEIGHT: 0px" valign="bottom" bgcolor="white"&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;
&lt;p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 10pt; TEXT-INDENT: -10pt; FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;Related income tax effect&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;#151;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;#151;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style="FONT-SIZE: 1.5pt; HEIGHT: 0px" valign="top"&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1pt solid; FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right" colspan="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1pt solid; FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right" colspan="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style="HEIGHT: 0px" valign="bottom" bgcolor="#CCEEFF"&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;
&lt;p style="MARGIN-LEFT: 10pt; TEXT-INDENT: -10pt; FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;Unrealized derivative gain in comprehensive income (loss) at December&amp;nbsp;31,&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;$&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;#151;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;$&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" align="right"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;#151;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style="FONT-SIZE: 1.5pt; HEIGHT: 0px" valign="top"&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 2.25pt double; FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right" colspan="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 2.25pt double; FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom" align="right" colspan="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style="FONT-FAMILY: times" valign="bottom"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;!-- end of user-specified TAGGED TABLE --&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Segment Information &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Cimarex has one reportable segment (exploration and production). &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Recently Issued Accounting Standards &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;In June 2009, the FASB approved the FASB Accounting Standards Codification (ASC), which after its launch on July&amp;nbsp;1, 2009 became the single source of authoritative, nongovernmental U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). The Codification reorganizes all previous U.S.&amp;nbsp;GAAP pronouncements into roughly 90 accounting topics and displays all topics using a consistent structure. All existing standards that were used to create the Codification are now superseded, replacing the previous references to specific Statements of Financial Accounting Standards with numbers used in the Codification's structural organization.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;In December 2008, the SEC issued revised reporting requirements for oil and gas reserves that a company holds. Included in the new rule entitled &lt;/font&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&lt;i&gt;Modernization of Oil and Gas Reporting Requirements,&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt; are the following changes: 1)&amp;nbsp;permitting use of additional technologies to determine proved reserves, if those technologies have been demonstrated empirically to lead to reliable conclusions about reserve volumes; 2)&amp;nbsp;enabling companies to disclose their probable and possible reserves to investors, in addition to their proved reserves; 3)&amp;nbsp;allowing previously excluded resources, such as oil sands, to be classified as oil and gas reserves rather than mining reserves; 4)&amp;nbsp;requiring companies to report the independence and qualifications of a preparer or auditor; 5)&amp;nbsp;requiring the filing of reports for companies that rely on a third party to prepare reserve estimates or conduct a reserve audit; and 6)&amp;nbsp;requiring companies to report oil and gas reserves using an average price based upon the prior 12-month period, rather than period-end prices. The new requirements are effective for registration statements filed on or after January&amp;nbsp;1, 2010, and for annual reports on Form&amp;nbsp;10K for fiscal years ending on or after December&amp;nbsp;31, 2009. Early adoption is not permitted.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;In January 2010, the FASB issued an Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2010-03, &lt;/font&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&lt;i&gt;Extractive Industries&amp;#151;Oil and Gas (Topic 932): Oil and Gas Reserve Estimation and Disclosure.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt; This ASU amends the FASB accounting standards to align the reserve calculation and disclosure requirements with the requirements in the new SEC Rule, &lt;/font&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&lt;i&gt;Modernization of Oil and Gas Reporting Requirements&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;. The ASU is effective for reporting periods ending on or after December&amp;nbsp;31, 2009. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Subsequent Events &lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="FONT-FAMILY: times; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"&gt;&lt;font size="2"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;The accompanying financial disclosures include an evaluation of subsequent events through February&amp;nbsp;26, 2010. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/table&gt;
</NonNumbericText>
          <NonNumericTextHeader>3. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash
&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Cash and cash</NonNumericTextHeader>
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      <ElementDefenition>No definition available.</ElementDefenition>
      <ElementReferences>No authoritative reference available.</ElementReferences>
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  <HasScenarios>false</HasScenarios>
  <MonetaryRoundingLevel>UnKnown</MonetaryRoundingLevel>
  <SharesRoundingLevel>UnKnown</SharesRoundingLevel>
  <PerShareRoundingLevel>UnKnown</PerShareRoundingLevel>
  <HasPureData>false</HasPureData>
  <SharesShouldBeRounded>true</SharesShouldBeRounded>
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