INCOME TAXES Income Taxes (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Schedule of Components of Income Tax Expense (Benefit) [Table Text Block]

The table below presents the components of our provision for income taxes from continuing operations for the years presented:



	Year Ended December 31,
	2015			2014			2013
	(in thousands)
Current:
Federal	$	(2,944	)	$	(1,514	)	$	1,355
State	(163		)	966			199
Total current income taxes	(3,107		)	(548		)	1,554
Deferred:
Federal	37,352			(60,698		)	8,238
State	4,063			(8,721		)	2,060
Total deferred income taxes	41,415			(69,419		)	10,298
Income tax benefit (expense) from continuing operations	$	38,308		$	(69,967	)	$	11,852

Schedule of Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation [Table Text Block]

The following table presents a reconciliation of the statutory rate to the effective tax rate related to our provision for income taxes from continuing operations:



	Year Ended December, 31,
	2015		2014		2013

Statutory tax rate	35.0	%	35.0	%	35.0	%
State income tax, net	2.4		2.8		4.0
Percentage depletion	0.3		(0.3	)	2.2
Non-deductible compensation	(1.2	)	0.7		(4.2	)
Other	(0.6	)	1.3		(1.0	)
Effective tax rate	35.9	%	39.5	%	36.0	%

Schedule of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities [Table Text Block]

The tax effects of temporary differences that give rise to significant portions of the deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities at December 31, 2015 and 2014 are presented below:



	As of December 31,
	2015		2014
	(in thousands)
Deferred tax assets:
Deferred compensation	$	13,104	$	10,459
Asset retirement obligations	34,101		28,051
State NOL and tax credit carryforwards, net	3,376		3,761
Alternative minimum tax - credit carryforward	2,812		2,906
Settlement of class action litigation	—		12,259
Other	3,412		3,144
Deferred tax assets	56,805		60,580

Deferred tax liabilities:
Properties and equipment	99,191		130,155
Net change in fair value of unsettled derivatives	100,369		113,007
Convertible debt	697		2,285
Total gross deferred tax liabilities	200,257		245,447
Net deferred tax liability	$	143,452	$	184,867