Contingencies and Commitments - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	6 Months Ended			6 Months Ended							6 Months Ended			1 Months Ended									6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2012	Jun. 30, 2011	May 31, 2012	Jun. 30, 2012 Chesapeake Utica L.L.C Well	Jun. 30, 2012 Clean Energy Fuels Corp.	Jul. 31, 2011 Clean Energy Fuels Corp.	Jul. 11, 2011 Clean Energy Fuels Corp.	Jun. 30, 2012 Sundrop Fuels, Inc.	Jul. 31, 2011 Sundrop Fuels, Inc.	Jun. 30, 2012 Sundrop Fuels, Inc. First Investment Tranche	Jun. 30, 2012 Chesapeake Midstream Development, L.P	Jun. 30, 2012 Chesapeake Midstream Development, L.P EBITD Minimum Committed Amount In 2012	Jun. 30, 2012 Chesapeake Midstream Development, L.P EBITD Minimum Committed Amount In 2013	May 31, 2012 Minimum Rigs	Jan. 31, 2012 Minimum Rigs	May 31, 2012 Maximum Rigs	Jan. 31, 2012 Maximum Rigs	Jul. 31, 2012 Putative class action Day	Jun. 30, 2012 Civil Penalties	Jun. 30, 2012 Misdemeanor Liability	Jun. 30, 2012 Felony Liability	Jun. 30, 2012 Monetary Sanctions	Jun. 30, 2012 Rig Leases Rigs	Jun. 30, 2012 Compressor Leases Rigs	Jun. 30, 2012 Equipment Rigs	Jun. 30, 2012 Equipment Minimum	Jun. 30, 2012 Equipment Maximum	Jun. 30, 2012 Drilling Obligations
Commitments and Contingencies [Line Items]
Interest paid	$ 12,000,000
Attorney fees and expenses to plaintiffs' counsel	3,750,000
Number of days a consolidated amended complaint expected to be filed																		60
Maximum working interest percentage allowed			2.50%
Purchased natural gas and oil properties	101,000,000
Criminal penalties																			37,500			100,000
Criminal penalties, minimum																				2,500	5,000
Criminal penalties, maximum																				25,000	50,000
Equipment sold																							92	2,542
Number of repurchased equipment																							2	11
Entered into a master lease agreement under which we agreed to leaseback from the buyer, proceeds from sale																							791,000,000	634,000,000
Entered into a master lease agreement under which we agreed to leaseback from the buyer, minimum term (in years)																							5 years	4 years
Entered into a master lease agreement under which we agreed to leaseback from the buyer, maximum term (in years)																							10 years	10 years
Aggregate undiscounted minimum future commitments																							389,000,000	458,000,000	287,000,000
Number of drilling rigs leased																									33
Lease term, in months or years																										6 months	3 years
Minimum committed wells per year				90
Minimum committed wells per year in 2013				270
Minimum committed wells per year in 2014				540
Number of spud wells				47
Drilling carrying percentage, previous amount																												60.00%
Drilling carrying percentage, current amount																												45.00%
Guaranteed gross profit margin	10.00%
Investment in newly issued convertible notes					50,000,000	150,000,000	50,000,000
Annual rate					7.50%
Conversion premium of convertible option into shares					22.50%
Conversion price for convertible promissory note					$ 15.80
Investment in preferred stock								65,000,000	155,000,000	65,000,000
Proceeds from divestitures of proved and unproved properties	1,555,000,000	6,173,000,000									879,000,000
EBITDA minimum commitment amount												100,000,000	150,000,000
Gain on sale of natural gas gathering system and related facilities											27,000,000
Capital contributions	$ 1,200,000,000
Rig count														2	6	6	12