Exhibit 99.1

                      [WESTPORT RESOURCES CORPORATION LOGO]

                         WESTPORT RESOURCES CORPORATION
                           410 17TH STREET, SUITE 2300
                             DENVER, COLORADO 80202


WESTPORT RESOURCES COMMENCES PRIVATE PLACEMENT OF $200 MILLION OF SENIOR
SUBORDINATED NOTES

Denver, Colorado, October 22, 2001 - Westport Resources Corporation (NYSE:WRC)
announced today that it intends to commence an offering of $200 million of
Senior Subordinated Notes due 2011 through a private placement pursuant to Rule
144A. The offering of the notes, which is subject to market and other
conditions, will be made within the United States only to qualified
institutional buyers, and outside the United States to non-U.S. investors.

Westport intends to use the net proceeds of the note offering to repay a portion
of the outstanding indebtedness under its bank credit facility. The Company
expects to price the notes the week of October 29, 2001.

The notes have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933 or
applicable state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United
States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration
requirements of the Securities Act and applicable state laws. This announcement
shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy.

Westport is an independent energy company engaged in oil and natural gas
exploitation, acquisition and exploration activities primarily in the Gulf of
Mexico, the Rocky Mountains, Permian Basin/Mid-Continent and the Gulf Coast.

Contact information: Lon McCain or Jonathan Bloomfield at (303) 573-5404.

FORWARD - LOOKING STATEMENTS
This material includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of
Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements include
estimates, plans, expectations, opinions, forecasts, projections, guidance or
other statements that are not statements of fact. Although the Company believes
that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are
reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have
been correct. There are many factors that could cause forward-looking statements
not to be correct, including the cautionary statements contained in this
material and risks and uncertainties inherent in the Company's business set
forth in the filings of the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
These risks include, among others, oil and gas price volatility, availability of
services and supplies, operating hazards and mechanical failures, uncertainties
in the estimates of proved reserves and in projections of future rates of
production and timing of development expenditures, general economic conditions,
and the actions or inactions of third-party operators. The Company does not
undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in
this material.