HOUSTON, Sept. 25, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Top executives from leading Marcellus and Utica shale producers will address 3,000+ oil and gas professionals at Hart Energy's 5th DUG East conference, Nov. 13-15, at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh.

Dan O. Dinges, chairman, president and CEO of Cabot Oil & Gas, will deliver the opening keynote address. His firm has reported some of the best wells in the region.

In "operator spotlight" presentations, Nicholas DeIuliis, president of leading Appalachian producer CONSOL Energy Inc., will discuss its strategies for increasing recoverable reserves and trimming costs in its Marcellus wells, and Jeffrey Ventura, president and CEO of Range Resources Corp., will review plans for its 1 million net shale acres in Pennsylvania.

Jim Palm, CEO of Gulfport Energy Corp., whose Utica wells are attracting widespread attention for their performance, will join John B. Walker, president and CEO of EnerVest Ltd. and executive chairman of EV Energy Partners, an early mover in the Utica shale, in a roundtable discussion of what's known about this emerging play today.

These esteemed speakers join an impressive array of industry speakers which includes:

•    James Trimble, president and CEO, PDC Energy
•    Benjamin Hulburt, president and CEO, Eclipse Resources
•    Randy S. Nickerson, executive vice president and CCO, MarkWest Energy Partners LP
•    Christopher Simon, managing director, Raymond James & Associates
•    Paul A. Weissgarber, senior vice president, Crosstex Energy

DUG™ series conferences (Developing Unconventionals) are the largest unconventional resources events in the world. DUG East focuses on how producers are developing unprecedented resource abundance across the Appalachian basin. For the complete agenda, visit dugeast.com.

About Hart Energy
For nearly 40 years, Hart Energy has delivered market-leading insights to the global energy industry. The Houston-based company produces monthly magazines (such as Oil and Gas Investor, E &P and Midstream Business); online media and data services; conferences (including the Developing Unconventionals [DUG™] series); and GIS data sets and mapping solutions. Its analysts and experts provide research and consulting services, including the North American Shale Quarterly research platform, whose production and midstream forecasts are relied on by producers and investors using the Bloomberg Tradebook platform. For more information, visit hartenergy.com.