Derivatives and Risk Management

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

Derivatives And Risk Management [Abstract]

Derivatives and Risk Management

(7)  DERIVATIVES AND RISK MANAGEMENT

The Company is exposed to commodity price risk which impacts the predictability of its cash flows related to the sale of natural gas and oil. The primary risk managed by the Company's use of certain derivative financial instruments is commodity price risk. These derivative financial instruments allow the Company to limit its price exposure to a portion of its projected natural gas sales. At September 30, 2011 and December 31, 2010, the Company's derivative financial instruments consisted of price swaps, costless-collars and basis swaps. A description of the Company's derivative financial instruments is provided below:

Fixed price swaps               The Company receives a fixed price for the contract and pays a floating market price to the counterparty.

Floating price swaps          The Company receives a floating market price from the counterparty and pays a fixed price.

Costless-collars                   Arrangements that contain a fixed floor price (put) and a fixed ceiling price (call). If the market price exceeds the call strike price or falls below the put strike price, the Company receives the fixed price and pays the market price. If the market price is between the call and the put strike price, no payments are due from either party.

Basis swaps                          Arrangements that guarantee a price differential for natural gas from a specified delivery point. The Company receives a payment from the counterparty if the price differential is greater than the stated terms of the contract and pays the counterparty if the price differential is less than the stated terms of the contract.  

GAAP requires that all derivatives be recognized in the balance sheet as either an asset or liability and be measured at fair value. Under GAAP, certain criteria must be satisfied in order for derivative financial instruments to be classified and accounted for as either a cash flow or a fair value hedge. Accounting for qualifying hedges requires a derivative's gains and losses to be recorded either in earnings or as a component of other comprehensive income. Gains and losses on derivatives that are not elected for hedge accounting treatment or that do not meet hedge accounting requirements are recorded in earnings.

The Company utilizes counterparties for its derivative instruments that it believes are credit-worthy at the time the transactions are entered into and the Company closely monitors the credit ratings of these counterparties. Additionally, the Company performs both quantitative and qualitative assessments of these counterparties based on their credit ratings and credit default swap rates where applicable. However, the events in the financial markets in recent years demonstrate there can be no assurance that a counterparty will be able to meet its obligations to the Company.

The balance sheet classification of the derivative financial instruments are summarized below at September 30, 2011 and December 31, 2010:

	Derivative Assets
	September 30, 2011		December 31, 2010
	Balance Sheet Classification	Fair Value	Balance Sheet Classification	Fair Value
	(in thousands)
Derivatives designated as hedging instruments:
Fixed and floating price swaps	Hedging asset	$        213,334	Hedging asset	$          81,797
Costless-collars	Hedging asset	101,988	Hedging asset	48,582
Fixed and floating price swaps	Other assets	72,797	Other assets	5,086
Costless-collars	Other assets	23,668	Other assets	72,827
Total derivatives designated as hedging instruments		$        411,787		$        208,292
Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments:
Basis swaps	Hedging asset	$               224	Hedging asset	$                 33
Basis swaps	Other assets	558	Other assets	0
Total derivatives not designated as hedging instruments		$               782		$                 33
Total derivative assets		$        412,569		$        208,325
	Derivative Liabilities
	September 30, 2011		December 31, 2010
	Balance Sheet Classification	Fair Value	Balance Sheet Classification	Fair Value
	(in thousands)
Derivatives designated as hedging instruments:
Fixed and floating price swaps	Hedging liability	$            6,533	Hedging liability	$            1,774
Costless-collars	Hedging liability	604	Hedging liability	3,903
Fixed and floating price swaps	Long-term hedging liability	2,507	Long-term hedging liability	22,334
Costless-collars	Long-term hedging liability	1,094	Long-term hedging liability	17,854
Total derivatives designated as hedging instruments		$          10,738		$          45,865
Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments:
Basis swaps	Hedging liability	$             1,934	Hedging liability	$            2,008
Basis swaps	Long-term hedging liability	981	Long-term hedging liability	0
Total derivatives not designated as hedging instruments		$             2,915		$            2,008
Total derivative liabilities		$           13,653		$          47,873

Cash Flow Hedges

The reporting of gains and losses on cash flow derivative hedging instruments depends on whether the gains or losses are effective at offsetting changes in the cash flows of the hedged item. The effective portion of the gains and losses on the derivative hedging instruments are recorded in other comprehensive income until recognized in earnings during the period that the hedged transaction takes place. The ineffective portion of the gains and losses from the derivative hedging instrument is recognized in earnings immediately.

As of September 30, 2011, the Company had cash flow hedges on the following volumes of natural gas production and gas in underground storage (in Bcf):

Year:	Fixed price swaps	Costless-collars
2011	64.7	15.6
2012	185.9	80.5
2013	185.2	0

As of September 30, 2011, the Company recorded a net gain in accumulated other comprehensive income related to its hedging activities of $242.5 million. This amount is net of a deferred income tax liability recorded as of September 30, 2011 of $155.0 million. The amount recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income will be relieved over time and recognized in the statement of operations as the physical transactions being hedged occur. Assuming the market prices of natural gas futures as of September 30, 2011 remain unchanged, the Company would expect to transfer an aggregate after-tax net gain of approximately $186.3 million from accumulated other comprehensive income to earnings during the next 12 months. Gains or losses from derivative instruments designated as cash flow hedges are reflected as adjustments to natural gas sales in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations. Natural gas sales included a realized gain from settled contracts of $186.6 million for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2011 compared to a realized gain of $194.6 million for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2010. Volatility in earnings and other comprehensive income may occur in the future as a result of the Company's derivative activities.

The following tables summarize the before tax effect of all cash flow hedges on the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for the three- and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2011 and 2010.

		Gain Recognized in Other Comprehensive Income (Effective Portion)
		For the three months ended		For the nine months ended
		September 30,		September 30,
Derivative Instrument		2011	2010	2011	2010
		(in thousands)
Fixed price swaps		$   230,783	$     75,864	$    360,362	$     166,398
Costless-collars		$     48,315	$     84,750	$      65,144	$     140,282
	Classification of Gain Reclassified from Accumulated Other	Gain Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income into Earnings (Effective Portion)
	Comprehensive Income	For the three months ended		For the nine months ended
	into Earnings	September 30,		September 30,
Derivative Instrument	(Effective Portion)	2011	2010	2011	2010
		(in thousands)
Fixed price swaps	Gas Sales	$     67,125	$     65,761	$    145,662	$     144,015
Costless-collars	Gas Sales	$     13,918	$     16,073	$     40,978	$     50,635
		Gain (Loss) Recognized in Earnings (Ineffective Portion)
	Classification of Gain (Loss)	For the three months ended		For the nine months ended
	Recognized in Earnings	September 30,		September 30,
Derivative Instrument	(Ineffective Portion)	2011	2010	2011	2010
		(in thousands)
Fixed price swaps	Gas Sales	$     (1,754)	$    (258)	$        (755)	$    (3,924)
Costless-collars	Gas Sales	$        (826)	$    (157)	$          252	$    (1,577)

Fair Value Hedges

For fair value hedges, the gain or loss on the derivative instrument as well as the offsetting gain or loss on the hedged item are recognized in earnings immediately. As of September 30, 2011 and December 31, 2010, the Company had no material fair value hedges.

 Other Derivative Contracts

Although the Company's basis swaps meet the objective of managing commodity price exposure, these trades are typically not entered into concurrent with the Company's derivative instruments that qualify as cash flow hedges and therefore do not generally qualify for hedge accounting. Basis swap derivative instruments that do not qualify as cash flow hedges are recorded on the balance sheet at their fair values under hedging assets, other assets and hedging liabilities, as applicable, and all realized and unrealized gains and losses related to these contracts are recognized immediately in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations as a component of natural gas sales.

As of September 30, 2011, the Company had basis swaps on natural gas production that did not qualify for hedge accounting treatment of 9.2 Bcf, 37.7 Bcf, 30.1 Bcf and 9.1 Bcf for 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014 respectively.

The following table summarizes the before tax effect of basis swaps that did not qualify for hedge accounting on the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations for the three- and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2011 and 2010.

		Unrealized Gain (Loss) Recognized in Earnings
	Income Statement	For the three months ended		For the nine months ended
	Classification	September 30,		September 30,
Derivative Instrument	of Unrealized Gain (Loss)	2011	2010	2011	2010
		(in thousands)
Basis swaps	Gas Sales	$        (1,967)	$      1,620	$       (159)	$      9,496
		Realized Gain (Loss) Recognized in Earnings
	Income Statement	For the three months ended		For the nine months ended
	Classification	September 30,		September 30,
Derivative Instrument	of Realized Gain (Loss)	2011	2010	2011	2010
		(in thousands)
Basis swaps	Gas Sales	$        (22)	$    (2,580)	$    (2,377)	$    (9,811)