August 31, 2005 Mr. P. Mark Stark Chief Financial Officer The Exploration Company of Delaware, Inc. 500 North Loop 1604 East, Suite 250 San Antonio, Texas 78232 	Re:	The Exploration Company of Delaware, Inc. 		Form 10-K for Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2004 Filed March 16, 2005 		Forms 10-Q for Fiscal Quarters Ended March 31, 2005 and June 30, 2005 Filed May 10, 2005 and August 9, 2005 Response Letters Dated July 25, 2005 and August 18, 2005 		File No. 0-09120 Dear Mr. Stark: We have reviewed your response letter and have the following comment. Please provide a written response to our comment. Please be as detailed as necessary in your explanation. In our comment, we may ask you to provide us with information so we may better understand your disclosure. After reviewing this information, we may raise additional comments. Form 10-K for the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2004 Note A - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, page F-7 Oil and Gas Properties, page F-7 1. We have reviewed your response to comment 11 included in our letter dated July 12, 2005 and comment one included in our letter dated August 4, 2005. Please expand your policy disclosure to incorporate the information provided in these responses. In this regard, clearly explain the manner by which you utilize the 3-D seismic data, the criteria used to determine if these costs represent development versus exploration costs and how you account for these costs. Closing Comments Please respond to this comment within 10 business days or tell us when you will provide us with a response. Please furnish a letter that keys your response to our comment and provides any requested information. Detailed letters greatly facilitate our review. Please understand that we may have additional comments after reviewing your response to our comment. You may contact Regina Balderas, Staff Accountant, at (202) 551-3722 if you have questions regarding comments on the financial statements and related matters. Please contact me at (202) 551- 3683 with any other questions. 								Sincerely, 								Jill S. Davis 								Branch Chief ?? ?? ?? ?? Mr. P. Mark Stark The Exploration Company of Delaware, Inc. August 31, 2005 page 1 UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549-7010 DIVISION OF CORPORATION FINANCE MAIL STOP 7010