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Capital Stock
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2012
Capital Stock  
Capital Stock

11. Capital Stock

Incentive Plans

        Under the Company's 2004 Incentive Plan, incentive and non-statutory stock options, stock appreciation rights (SARs), stock awards, cash awards and performance awards may be granted to key employees, consultants and officers of the Company. Non-employee directors of the Company may be granted discretionary awards under the 2004 Incentive Plan consisting of stock options or stock awards. A total of 10,200,000 shares of common stock may be issued under the 2004 Incentive Plan. Under the 2004 Incentive Plan, no more than 3,600,000 shares may be used for stock awards that are not subject to the achievement of performance based goals, and no more than 6,000,000 shares may be issued pursuant to incentive stock options.

Increase in Authorized Shares

        In May 2012, the stockholders of the Company approved an increase in the authorized number of shares of common stock from 240 million to 480 million shares.

Treasury Stock

        The Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program under which the Company may purchase shares of common stock in the open market or in negotiated transactions. The timing and amount of these stock purchases are determined at the discretion of management. The Company may use the repurchased shares to fund stock compensation programs presently in existence, or for other corporate purposes. All purchases executed to date have been through open market transactions. There is no expiration date associated with the authorization to repurchase securities of the Company.

        During the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, the Company did not repurchase any shares of common stock. Since the authorization date, the Company has repurchased 10,409,400 shares of the 20 million total shares authorized for a total cost of approximately $85.7 million. The repurchased shares were held as treasury stock with 10,005,000 shares having been subsequently retired. No treasury shares have been delivered or sold by the Company subsequent to the repurchase. As of December 31, 2012, 404,400 shares were held as treasury stock.

Dividend Restrictions

        The Board of Directors of the Company determines the amount of future cash dividends, if any, to be declared and paid on the common stock depending on, among other things, the Company's financial condition, funds from operations, the level of its capital and exploration expenditures, and its future business prospects. None of the note or credit agreements in place have a restricted payment provision or other provision limiting dividends.