Natural Gas and Oil Properties	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2011
Natural Gas and Oil Properties [Abstract]
Natural Gas and Oil Properties	(5) NATURAL GAS AND OIL PROPERTIES The Company utilizes the full cost method of accounting for costs related to the exploration, development and acquisition of natural gas and oil reserves. Under this method, all such costs (productive and nonproductive), including salaries, benefits and other internal costs directly attributable to these activities are capitalized on a country by country basis and amortized over the estimated lives of the properties using the units-of-production method. These capitalized costs, less accumulated amortization and related deferred income taxes, are subject to a ceiling test that limits such pooled costs to the aggregate of the present value of future net revenues attributable to proved natural gas and oil reserves discounted at 10 percent plus the lower of cost or market value of unproved properties. Any costs in excess of the ceiling are written off as a non-cash expense. The expense may not be reversed in future periods, even though higher natural gas and oil prices may subsequently increase the ceiling. The average quoted price from the first day of each month from the previous 12 months, including the impact of derivatives qualifying as cash flow hedges, is used to calculate the ceiling value of reserves. Using the average quoted price from the first day of each month from the previous 12 months for Henry Hub natural gas of $4.16 per MMBtu and $91.00 per barrel for West Texas Intermediate oil, adjusted for market differentials and the impact of derivatives qualifying as cash flow hedges, the Company's net book value of its United States natural gas and oil properties did not exceed the ceiling amount and did not result in a ceiling test impairment at September 30, 2011. Cash flow hedges of natural gas production in place increased the ceiling value by approximately $294.5 million at September 30, 2011. Decreases in market prices as well as changes in production rates, levels of reserves, evaluation of costs excluded from amortization, future development costs and production costs could result in future ceiling test impairments. All of our costs directly associated with the acquisition and evaluation of properties in New Brunswick, Canada relating to our exploration program at September 30, 2011 were unproved and did not exceed the ceiling amount. If our exploration program in Canada is unsuccessful on all or a portion of these properties, a ceiling test impairment may result in the future.

The Company utilizes the full cost method of accounting for costs related to the exploration, development and acquisition of natural gas and oil reserves. Under this method, all such costs (productive and nonproductive), including salaries, benefits and other internal costs directly attributable to these activities are capitalized on a country by country basis and amortized over the estimated lives of the properties using the units-of-production method. These capitalized costs, less accumulated amortization and related deferred income taxes, are subject to a ceiling test that limits such pooled costs to the aggregate of the present value of future net revenues attributable to proved natural gas and oil reserves discounted at 10 percent plus the lower of cost or market value of unproved properties. Any costs in excess of the ceiling are written off as a non-cash expense. The expense may not be reversed in future periods, even though higher natural gas and oil prices may subsequently increase the ceiling. The average quoted price from the first day of each month from the previous 12 months, including the impact of derivatives qualifying as cash flow hedges, is used to calculate the ceiling value of reserves.

Using the average quoted price from the first day of each month from the previous 12 months for Henry Hub natural gas of $4.16 per MMBtu and $91.00 per barrel for West Texas Intermediate oil, adjusted for market differentials and the impact of derivatives qualifying as cash flow hedges, the Company's net book value of its United States natural gas and oil properties did not exceed the ceiling amount and did not result in a ceiling test impairment at September 30, 2011. Cash flow hedges of natural gas production in place increased the ceiling value by approximately $294.5 million at September 30, 2011. Decreases in market prices as well as changes in production rates, levels of reserves, evaluation of costs excluded from amortization, future development costs and production costs could result in future ceiling test impairments.

All of our costs directly associated with the acquisition and evaluation of properties in New Brunswick, Canada relating to our exploration program at September 30, 2011 were unproved and did not exceed the ceiling amount. If our exploration program in Canada is unsuccessful on all or a portion of these properties, a ceiling test impairment may result in the future.