1

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                             EXHIBIT 99.3
Monday, April 20, 1998

                       UNION PACIFIC RESOURCES GROUP INC.
                        BOARD APPROVES POTENTIAL SALE OF
                         ASSETS FOR DELEVERAGING PROGRAM

FORT WORTH, Texas, April 20 -- Union Pacific Resources Group Inc. (NYSE - UPR)
today announced that the Company's Board of Directors has authorized management
to proceed with a deleveraging program designed to obtain a strong investment
grade credit rating within 18 months. UPR's plan to reduce the debt incurred by
the acquisition of Norcen Energy Resources, Ltd. (Norcen) includes the sale of
certain oil and gas producing properties and monetization of the Company's gas
gathering, processing and marketing business (GPM).

"We are committed to this program and it is our objective to accomplish this
deleveraging without issuing common stock," said Jack L. Messman, UPR's chairman
and CEO. "We intend to have our balance sheet and credit statistics in order
well within our outside target of 18 months. The Board's action demonstrates our
focus on achieving this objective as well as showing our resolve to maximize
long term shareholder value."

Messman noted that UPR is offering producing properties which the Company has
determined are non-strategic following the Norcen acquisition. He said UPR
intends to have data rooms for both the producing properties and GPM operations
set up by June 15.

The Company also announced that it has reduced its 1998 capital budget from $1.6
billion to $1.3 billion. This reduction aligns capital expenditures with
anticipated cash flow and includes anticipated capital spending associated with
the Norcen acquisition.

Union Pacific Resources is one of the nation's largest domestic independent oil
and gas exploration and production companies. Based in Fort Worth, Texas, UPR
has been the #1 domestic driller for the past six years and is the state of
Texas' #1 gas producer.

This press release, other than historical financial information, contains
forward looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties including
planned construction and drilling activity, expected production efforts and
volumes and budgeted capital expenditures and other risks and uncertainties
detailed in the Company's SEC reports, including the report on Form 10-Q for the
year ended December 31, 1997. Actual results may vary materially.




                                       14