|**COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES Commitments and Contigencies (Tables)**                                | 12 Months Ended                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
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|**Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]**                                                |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
|Supply Commitment [Table Text Block]                                                                   | The following table presents gross volume information related to our long-term firm transportation, sales and processing agreements for pipeline capacity:Year Ending December 31,Area20172018201920202021 andThroughExpirationTotalExpirationDateNatural gas (MMcf)Wattenberg Field (1)—2,30017,12518,30086,700124,425September 30, 2025Gas Marketing segment7,1177,1177,1177,13611,55040,037August 31, 2022Utica Shale2,7382,7382,7382,7457,06418,023July 22, 2023Total9,85512,15526,98028,181105,314182,485Crude oil (MBbls)Wattenberg Field2,4132,4132,4131,204—8,443June 30, 2020Dollar commitment (in thousands)$17,158$18,626$33,221$27,430$89,896$186,331__________(1)In December 2016, in anticipation of our future drilling activities in the Wattenberg Field, we entered into a facilities expansion agreement with our primary midstream provider to expand and improve its natural gas gathering pipelines and processing facilities.  The midstream provider is expected to construct a new 200 MMcfd cryogenic plant.  We will be bound to the volume requirements in this agreement on the first day of the calendar month after the actual in-service date of the plant, which in the above table is estimated to be September 30, 2018.  The agreement requires a baseline volume commitment of current sales volumes to this midstream provider and an incremental volume commitment of50MMcfd for seven years, of which we may be required to pay a shortfall fee for any volumes under the50MMcfd incremental commitment.  Any shortfall of this volume commitment may be offset, in part, by additional third party producers’ volumes sold to the midstream provider when a certain total volume is achieved.  We are also required for the first three years of the contract to guarantee a certain target profit margin to the midstream provider on these volumes sold.  Under our current drilling plans, we expect to meet both the baseline and incremental volume commitments.  Using the NYMEX forward pricing strip at December 31, 2016, the target profit margin would be achieved without an additional payment from us.
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|Natural gas (MMcf)                                                                                     |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
|Wattenberg Field (1)                                                                                   |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
|Gas Marketing segment                                                                                  |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
|Utica Shale                                                                                            |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
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|Crude oil (MBbls)                                                                                      |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
|Wattenberg Field                                                                                       |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
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|Dollar commitment (in thousands)                                                                       |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
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|(1)                                                                                                    | In December 2016, in anticipation of our future drilling activities in the Wattenberg Field, we entered into a facilities expansion agreement with our primary midstream provider to expand and improve its natural gas gathering pipelines and processing facilities.  The midstream provider is expected to construct a new 200 MMcfd cryogenic plant.  We will be bound to the volume requirements in this agreement on the first day of the calendar month after the actual in-service date of the plant, which in the above table is estimated to be September 30, 2018.  The agreement requires a baseline volume commitment of current sales volumes to this midstream provider and an incremental volume commitment of50MMcfd for seven years, of which we may be required to pay a shortfall fee for any volumes under the50MMcfd incremental commitment.  Any shortfall of this volume commitment may be offset, in part, by additional third party producers’ volumes sold to the midstream provider when a certain total volume is achieved.  We are also required for the first three years of the contract to guarantee a certain target profit margin to the midstream provider on these volumes sold.  Under our current drilling plans, we expect to meet both the baseline and incremental volume commitments.  Using the NYMEX forward pricing strip at December 31, 2016, the target profit margin would be achieved without an additional payment from us.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
|Schedule of Minimum Future Lease Payments under the Non-cancelable Operating Leases [Table Text Block] | The following table presents the minimum future lease payments under the non-cancelable operating leases as ofDecember 31, 2016:Year Ending December 31,20172018201920202021ThereafterTotal(in thousands)Minimum Lease Payments$3,056$3,041$3,033$3,093$3,154$6,786$22,163                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
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|Minimum Lease Payments                                                                                 |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
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