v2.3.0.15

PROPERTY, PLANT, AND EQUIPMENT AND MINERAL PROPERTIES (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2010	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2010	Dec. 31, 2010
Property, plant and equipment
Accumulated depreciation	$ (89,790,000)		$ (89,790,000)		$ (66,615,000)
Property, plant and equipment, net	359,318,000		359,318,000		285,920,000
Mineral properties and development costs
Mineral properties and development costs, gross	42,065,000		42,065,000		42,288,000
Construction in progress	694,000		694,000		515,000
Accumulated depletion	(9,435,000)		(9,435,000)		(8,431,000)
Mineral properties and development costs, net	33,324,000		33,324,000		34,372,000
Costs for depreciation, depletion, amortization, and accretion, including costs capitalized into inventory
Depreciation	8,403,000	6,417,000	24,358,000	18,495,000
Depletion	232,000	212,000	1,027,000	897,000
Amortization		55,000	92,000	166,000
Accretion	184,000	176,000	566,000	528,000
Total	8,819,000	6,860,000	26,043,000	20,086,000
Buildings and plant
Property, plant and equipment
Property, plant and equipment, gross	65,020,000		65,020,000		55,462,000
Machinery and equipment
Property, plant and equipment
Property, plant and equipment, gross	226,893,000		226,893,000		190,662,000
Vehicles
Property, plant and equipment
Property, plant and equipment, gross	8,699,000		8,699,000		8,015,000
Office equipment and improvements
Property, plant and equipment
Property, plant and equipment, gross	13,711,000		13,711,000		13,333,000
Ponds and land improvements
Property, plant and equipment
Property, plant and equipment, gross	7,871,000		7,871,000		6,802,000
Construction in progress
Property, plant and equipment
Property, plant and equipment, gross	126,651,000		126,651,000		77,998,000
Land
Property, plant and equipment
Property, plant and equipment, gross	263,000		263,000		263,000
HB Solar Solution mine
Property, plant and equipment
Construction in Process	30,500,000		30,500,000		26,700,000
Mineral properties and development costs
Mineral properties and development costs, gross	$ 1,400,000		$ 1,400,000		$ 1,400,000

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- Definition

The aggregate net amount of depreciation, depletion, amortization, and accretion recognized during an accounting period. As a noncash item, the net amount is added back to net income when calculating cash provided by (used in) operations using the indirect method.

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Mineral properties and development costs which include acquisition costs, the cost of drilling wells, and the cost of other development work, net of depletion.

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The cumulative amount of depreciation, depletion and amortization (related to property, plant and equipment, but not including land) that has been recognized in the income statement.

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The aggregate amount of recurring noncash expense charged against earnings in the period to allocate the cost of assets over their estimated remaining economic lives.

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Amount of accretion expense recognized during the period that is associated with an asset retirement obligation. Accretion expense measures and incorporates changes due to the passage of time into the carrying amount of the liability.

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Gross amount, at the balance sheet date, of long-lived assets under construction that include construction costs to date on capital projects that have not been completed and assets being constructed that are not ready to be placed into service.

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The noncash expense charged against earnings to recognize the consumption of natural resources.

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The amount of expense recognized in the current period that reflects the allocation of the cost of tangible assets over the assets' useful lives. Includes production and non-production related depreciation.

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The accumulated decrease in the carrying value of the mineral properties as a result of mine or mineral production.

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Carrying amount at the balance sheet date of mineral properties, gross of adjustments.

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Gross amount, at the balance sheet date, of long-lived physical assets used in the normal conduct of business and not intended for resale. This can include land, buildings, machinery and equipment, and other types of furniture and equipment including, but not limited to, office equipment, furniture and fixtures, and computer equipment and software.

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Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

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Tangible assets that are held by an entity for use in the production or supply of goods and services, for rental to others, or for administrative purposes and that are expected to provide economic benefit for more than one year; net of accumulated depreciation. Examples include land, buildings, machinery and equipment, and other types of furniture and equipment including, but not limited to, office equipment, furniture and fixtures, and computer equipment and software.

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