EXHIBIT 99.1


On October 1, 2004, the Company issued the following press release:

PYR ENERGY CORPORATION
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                                  NEWS RELEASE
                                October 1, 2004

                       PYR Energy Announces New Director

     DENVER, -- PYR Energy Corporation (AMEX: PYR) today announced the
appointment of Mr. Dennis M. Swenson to its Board of Directors. Mr. Swenson was
a partner at Ernst & Young in Denver, Colorado from 1973 to 1991. From 1992
until his retirement in 2001, Mr. Swenson held various positions, including
Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Consultant, of StarTek,
Inc., a NYSE traded company with headquarters in Denver. Mr. Swenson will become
Chairman of PYR's Audit Committee and also will be a member of its Compensation
Committee.

     Mr. Swenson is replacing Mr. S.L. Hutchison, a member of PYR's Board of
Directors since 1999, who served as PYR's Audit Committee Chairman.

     Scott Singdahlsen, Chairman and CEO of PYR, stated, "On behalf of the
stockholders, management and employees of PYR Energy, I wish to thank Mr.
Hutchison for his tremendous service to the Company and its stockholders. Mr.
Hutchison has been a strong supporter of our efforts, and has been an
unflinching advocate of independent oversight of our accounting and reporting.
PYR Energy is very fortunate to have benefited form the services and advice of
Mr. Hutchison, and we wish him the very best is his retirement."

     Denver based PYR Energy is an independent oil and gas company primarily
engaged in the exploration for and the development and production of natural gas
and crude oil. At the current time, PYR's activities include select areas of the
Rocky Mountain region, the San Joaquin Basin of California, East Texas, and the
Gulf Coast. Additional information aobut PYR Energy Corporation can be accessed
via the Company's web site at www.pyrenergy.com.


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     This release contains forward-looking statements regarding PYR Energy
Corporation's future plans and expected performance based on assumptions the
Company believes to be reasonable. A number of risks and uncertainties could
cause actual results to differ materially from these statements, including,
without limitation, the success rate of exploration efforts and the timeliness
of development activities, fluctuations in oil and gas prices, and other risk
factors described from time to time in the Company's reports filed with the SEC.
In addition, the Company operates in an industry sector where securities values
are highly volatile and may be influenced by economic and other factors beyond
the Company's control. This press release includes the opinions of PYR Energy
and does not necessarily include the views of any other person or entity. This
release may not have been reviewed or approved by the operator and/or
participants in any of the projects discussed.

Contacts:



Scott Singdahlsen, President                    1675 Broadway, Suite 2450
303.825.3748                                    Denver, CO  80202
                                                Fax 303.825.3768