Industry Segment Information (Industry Segment Information) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016		Jun. 30, 2016	Mar. 31, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015		Jun. 30, 2015	Mar. 31, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016		Sep. 30, 2015
Revenues:
Oil and natural gas	$ 78,854				$ 96,619				$ 206,318		$ 309,944
Contract drilling	25,819				65,022				88,786		215,114
Gas gathering and processing	48,735				50,752				132,793		156,881
Total revenues	153,408				212,393				427,897		681,939
Oil and natural gas:
Operating costs	26,014				38,688				92,691		129,871
Depreciation, depletion, and amortization	27,135				57,159				89,378		202,378
Impairment of oil and natural gas properties	49,443		$ 74,300	$ 37,800	329,924		$ 410,500	$ 400,600	161,563		1,141,053
Contract drilling:
Operating costs	19,137				35,486				66,489		123,717
Depreciation	11,318				14,255				34,431		42,533
Impairment of contract drilling equipment	0				0		$ 8,300		0		8,314
Gas gathering and processing:
Operating costs	35,738				40,314				99,185		125,081
Depreciation and amortization	11,436				10,976				34,410		32,518
Total expenses	180,221				526,802				578,147		1,805,465
Total operating income (loss)	(26,813)	[1]			(314,409)	[2]			(150,250)	[3]	(1,123,526)	[4]
General and administrative expense	(8,932)				(7,643)				(26,029)		(26,637)
Gain (loss) on disposition of assets	154				(7,230)				823		(6,270)
Gain (loss) on derivatives	6,969				8,250				(4,774)		12,917
Interest expense, net	(10,002)				(8,286)				(30,225)		(23,482)
Other	3				16				(11)		38
Income (loss) before income taxes	(38,621)				(329,302)				(210,466)		(1,166,960)
Oil and Natural Gas [Member]
Revenues:
Oil and natural gas	78,854				96,619				206,318		309,944
Contract drilling	0				0				0		0
Gas gathering and processing	0				0				0		0
Total revenues	78,854				96,619				206,318		309,944
Oil and natural gas:
Operating costs	27,710				39,942				98,070		133,502
Depreciation, depletion, and amortization	27,135				57,159				89,378		202,378
Impairment of oil and natural gas properties	49,443				329,924				161,563		1,141,053
Contract drilling:
Operating costs	0				0				0		0
Depreciation	0				0				0		0
Impairment of contract drilling equipment					0						0
Gas gathering and processing:
Operating costs	0				0				0		0
Depreciation and amortization	0				0				0		0
Total expenses	104,288				427,025				349,011		1,476,933
Total operating income (loss)	(25,434)	[1]			(330,406)	[2]			(142,693)	[3]	(1,166,989)	[4]
General and administrative expense	0				0				0		0
Gain (loss) on disposition of assets	0				0				(324)		0
Gain (loss) on derivatives	0				0				0		0
Interest expense, net	0				0				0		0
Other	0				0				0		0
Income (loss) before income taxes	(25,434)				(330,406)				(143,017)		(1,166,989)
Drilling [Member]
Revenues:
Oil and natural gas	0				0				0		0
Contract drilling	25,819				68,426				88,786		234,177
Gas gathering and processing	0				0				0		0
Total revenues	25,819				68,426				88,786		234,177
Oil and natural gas:
Operating costs	0				0				0		0
Depreciation, depletion, and amortization	0				0				0		0
Impairment of oil and natural gas properties	0				0				0		0
Contract drilling:
Operating costs	19,137				38,671				66,489		139,114
Depreciation	11,318				14,255				34,431		42,533
Impairment of contract drilling equipment					0						8,314
Gas gathering and processing:
Operating costs	0				0				0		0
Depreciation and amortization	0				0				0		0
Total expenses	30,455				52,926				100,920		189,961
Total operating income (loss)	(4,636)	[1]			15,500	[2]			(12,134)	[3]	44,216	[4]
General and administrative expense	0				0				0		0
Gain (loss) on disposition of assets	151				(7,230)				1,467		(6,735)
Gain (loss) on derivatives	0				0				0		0
Interest expense, net	0				0				0		0
Other	0				0				0		0
Income (loss) before income taxes	(4,485)				8,270				(10,667)		37,481
Mid-Stream [Member]
Revenues:
Oil and natural gas	0				0				0		0
Contract drilling	0				0				0		0
Gas gathering and processing	63,090				66,836				168,668		209,803
Total revenues	63,090				66,836				168,668		209,803
Oil and natural gas:
Operating costs	0				0				0		0
Depreciation, depletion, and amortization	0				0				0		0
Impairment of oil and natural gas properties	0				0				0		0
Contract drilling:
Operating costs	0				0				0		0
Depreciation	0				0				0		0
Impairment of contract drilling equipment					0						0
Gas gathering and processing:
Operating costs	48,397				55,136				129,681		174,342
Depreciation and amortization	11,436				10,976				34,410		32,518
Total expenses	59,833				66,112				164,091		206,860
Total operating income (loss)	3,257	[1]			724	[2]			4,577	[3]	2,943	[4]
General and administrative expense	0				0				0		0
Gain (loss) on disposition of assets	0				0				(302)		465
Gain (loss) on derivatives	0				0				0		0
Interest expense, net	0				0				0		0
Other	0				0				0		0
Income (loss) before income taxes	3,257				724				4,275		3,408
Other Segments [Member]
Revenues:
Oil and natural gas	0				0				0		0
Contract drilling	0				0				0		0
Gas gathering and processing	0				0				0		0
Total revenues	0				0				0		0
Oil and natural gas:
Operating costs	0				0				0		0
Depreciation, depletion, and amortization	0				0				0		0
Impairment of oil and natural gas properties	0				0				0		0
Contract drilling:
Operating costs	0				0				0		0
Depreciation	0				0				0		0
Impairment of contract drilling equipment					0						0
Gas gathering and processing:
Operating costs	0				0				0		0
Depreciation and amortization	0				0				0		0
Total expenses	0				0				0		0
Total operating income (loss)	0	[1]			0	[2]			0	[3]	0	[4]
General and administrative expense	(8,932)				(7,643)				(26,029)		(26,637)
Gain (loss) on disposition of assets	3				0				(18)		0
Gain (loss) on derivatives	6,969				8,250				(4,774)		12,917
Interest expense, net	(10,002)				(8,286)				(30,225)		(23,482)
Other	3				16				(11)		38
Income (loss) before income taxes	(11,959)				(7,663)				(61,057)		(37,164)
Intersubsegment Eliminations [Member]
Revenues:
Oil and natural gas	0				0				0		0
Contract drilling	0				(3,404)				0		(19,063)
Gas gathering and processing	(14,355)				(16,084)				(35,875)		(52,922)
Total revenues	(14,355)				(19,488)				(35,875)		(71,985)
Oil and natural gas:
Operating costs	(1,696)				(1,254)				(5,379)		(3,631)
Depreciation, depletion, and amortization	0				0				0		0
Impairment of oil and natural gas properties	0				0				0		0
Contract drilling:
Operating costs	0				(3,185)				0		(15,397)
Depreciation	0				0				0		0
Impairment of contract drilling equipment					0						0
Gas gathering and processing:
Operating costs	(12,659)				(14,822)				(30,496)		(49,261)
Depreciation and amortization	0				0				0		0
Total expenses	(14,355)				(19,261)				(35,875)		(68,289)
Total operating income (loss)	0	[1]			(227)	[2]			0	[3]	(3,696)	[4]
General and administrative expense	0				0				0		0
Gain (loss) on disposition of assets	0				0				0		0
Gain (loss) on derivatives	0				0				0		0
Interest expense, net	0				0				0		0
Other	0				0				0		0
Income (loss) before income taxes	$ 0				$ (227)				$ 0		$ (3,696)

[1] Operating income (loss) is total operating revenues less operating expenses, depreciation, depletion, amortization, and impairment and does not include general corporate expenses, gain on disposition of assets, gain on derivatives, interest expense, other income (loss), or income taxes.

[2] Operating income (loss) is total operating revenues less operating expenses, depreciation, depletion, amortization, and impairment and does not include general corporate expenses, loss on disposition of assets, gain on derivatives, interest expense, other income (loss), or income taxes.

[3] Operating income (loss) is total operating revenues less operating expenses, depreciation, depletion, amortization, and impairment and does not include general corporate expenses, gain (loss) on disposition of assets, loss on derivatives, interest expense, other income (loss), or income taxes.

[4] Operating income (loss) is total operating revenues less operating expenses, depreciation, depletion, amortization, and impairment and does not include general corporate expenses, gain (loss) on disposition of assets, gain on derivatives, interest expense, other income (loss), or income taxes.