EXHIBIT 99.1

                                  NEWS RELEASE

                                                   Investor Relations Contacts:
                               Susan Spratlen or Chris Paulsen   (972) 444-9001

                      Pioneer and Evergreen Complete Merger

Dallas,  Texas,   September  28,  2004  --  Pioneer  Natural  Resources  Company
(NYSE:PXD) and Evergreen  Resources,  Inc.  (NYSE:EVG) today announced that they
have  completed  their  $2.1  billion  merger in which  Evergreen  has  become a
subsidiary  of Pioneer and  Evergreen  stockholders  will  receive new shares of
Pioneer common stock and cash. The  transaction was completed after both Pioneer
and Evergreen obtained the required stockholder approvals for the transaction at
special meetings held today. Pioneer will continue to be headquartered in Dallas
and will retain  Evergreen's  Denver  offices as its base of  operations  in the
Rockies.

"These  new  Rockies  assets are a perfect  fit for  Pioneer,"  stated  Scott D.
Sheffield,  Pioneer's  Chairman  and CEO.  "The Raton  Basin  natural  gas field
expands  our  long-lived  reserve  foundation,   provides  significant  low-risk
opportunity  to add both reserves and  production  and  complements  our growing
exploration and international portfolios."

The merger agreement  permitted  Evergreen  stockholders to elect,  prior to the
completion  of the merger,  among three  types of  consideration  for a share of
Evergreen  common stock:  (1) 1.1635 shares of Pioneer common stock,  subject to
allocation and proration;  (2) $39.00 cash, subject to allocation and proration;
or (3)  0.58175  shares of Pioneer  common  stock and $19.50 in cash.  Evergreen
stockholders who did not make an election prior to completion of the merger will
be deemed to have elected to receive  0.58175 shares of Pioneer common stock and
$19.50 in cash per Evergreen  share. In addition,  Evergreen  stockholders  will
receive  additional cash  consideration  of $0.48 per share of Evergreen  common
stock,  which represents the pro rata gross proceeds less transaction costs from
Evergreen's sale of its Kansas properties on September 27, 2004.

The merger  agreement  provides that the  aggregate  number of shares of Pioneer
common stock to be issued in the merger and the  aggregate  amount of cash to be
paid in the  merger,  excluding  cash paid with  respect to  Evergreen's  Kansas
properties,  are each subject to a limit that depends on the number of shares of
Evergreen common stock outstanding immediately prior to the merger.  Immediately
prior to the merger,  there were 43.6 million  shares of Evergreen  common stock
outstanding. As a result, the aggregate number of shares of Pioneer common stock
to be issued in the merger is 25.4 million and the  aggregate  amount of cash to
be paid in the merger is $871.4  million  (including the  consideration  for the
Kansas properties). The elections made and deemed made by Evergreen stockholders
to receive shares of Pioneer common stock as merger  consideration  exceeded the
maximum number of Pioneer shares  issuable in the merger  pursuant to the merger
agreement. Accordingly, the holders of Evergreen common stock who made elections
to receive all cash will  receive,  for each share of  Evergreen  common  stock,
$39.00  in  cash  plus  the  $0.48  cash  payment  with  respect  to the  Kansas
properties,  and holders who made  elections to receive all Pioneer common stock
will instead receive,  for each share of Evergreen common stock,  0.83746 shares
of Pioneer  common  stock and $10.93 in cash plus the $0.48  cash  payment  with
respect to the Kansas properties. Pursuant to the terms of the merger agreement,
stockholders  who elected to receive,  for each share of Evergreen common stock,
0.58175  shares of Pioneer  common stock and $19.50 in cash,  plus the $0.48 per
share cash payment for the Kansas  properties,  will receive the form of payment
that they elected,  and  stockholders  who made no election will receive 0.58175
shares of Pioneer  common stock and $19.50 in cash,  plus the $0.48 payment with
respect to the Kansas properties.

Two of Evergreen's directors--Mark S. Sexton and Andrew D. Lundquist--will  join
Pioneer's  board of  directors.  Mr.  Sexton  will be a Class I  director  (term
expiring at Pioneer's  annual meeting of  stockholders in 2007).  Mr.  Lundquist
will be a Class III  director  (term  expiring at  Pioneer's  annual  meeting of
stockholders in 2006) and will serve on the compensation committee.






Pioneer  Natural  Resources is a large  independent  oil and gas exploration and
production  company with  operations in the United  States,  Argentina,  Canada,
Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, South Africa and Tunisia.  Pioneer's  headquarters are
in Dallas. For more information, visit Pioneer's website at www.pioneernrc.com.

This filing  contains  forward-looking  statements that are made pursuant to the
Safe Harbor Provisions of the Private Securities  Litigation Reform Act of 1995,
particularly  those  statements  regarding  the  effects of the merger and those
preceded  by,  followed  by or that  otherwise  include  the  words  "believes,"
"expects,"   "anticipates,"  "intends,"  "estimates,"  or  similar  expressions.
Forward-looking  statements  relating to  expectations  about future  results or
events are based upon  information  available to Pioneer as of today's date, and
Pioneer  assumes  no  obligation  to  update  any  of  these   statements.   The
forward-looking  statements  are not  guarantees  of the future  performance  of
Pioneer,  or the combined  company,  and actual results may vary materially from
the results and expectations  discussed.  Risks and uncertainties related to the
merger include, but are not limited to, the successful  integration of Evergreen
into  Pioneer's  business,  and  Pioneer's  ability  to  compete  in the  highly
competitive  oil and gas  exploration  and  production  industry.  The revenues,
earnings  and business  prospects of Pioneer and the combined  company and their
ability to achieve  planned  business  objectives will be subject to a number of
risks and  uncertainties.  These risks and  uncertainties  include,  among other
things,   volatility  of  oil  and  gas  prices,   product  supply  and  demand,
competition,   government  regulation  or  action,  foreign  currency  valuation
changes,  foreign government tax and regulation changes,  litigation,  the costs
and results of drilling and operations,  Pioneer's  ability to replace reserves,
implement its business plans, or complete its development projects as scheduled,
access  to and cost of  capital,  uncertainties  about  estimates  of  reserves,
quality of  technical  data,  environmental  and weather  risks,  acts of war or
terrorism.  These and other risks are identified  from time to time in Pioneer's
SEC reports and public announcements.