Houston Exploration to Present at the Lehman Brothers Energy Conference

HOUSTON, Sept. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Houston Exploration Company is scheduled to present at the Lehman Brothers 2005 CEO Energy Conference in New York on Wednesday, September 7, 2005, at 9:45 a.m. Eastern time. Steven L. Mueller, executive vice president and chief operating officer, will provide a brief overview of the company's operations.

A copy of the presentation will be available on the Shareholder / Financial section of the Houston Exploration Web site, http://www.houstonexploration.com/ .

The Houston Exploration Company is an independent natural gas and crude oil producer engaged in the development, exploitation, exploration and acquisition of natural gas and crude oil properties. The company's operations are focused in South Texas, the Arkoma Basin, the Rocky Mountains and offshore in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Additional production is located in East Texas.

Contact: The Houston Exploration Company Melissa Reynolds 713-830-6887 mreynolds@houstonexp.com