exhibit99

877 North 8th West, Riverton, WY 82501 USA, Ph: (307) 856-9271, Fx: (307) 857-3050, www.usnrg.com

For Immediate Release

U.S. ENERGY CORP. ANNOUNCES POSITIVE DRILLING RESULTS AND COMPLETION INITIATIVE ON ITS THIRD WELL WITH HOUSTON ENERGY, L.P.

RIVERTON, Wyoming – August 6, 2009 – U.S. Energy Corp. (NASDAQ Capital Market: “USEG”) (“USE” or the “Company”), a natural resources exploration and development company with interests in molybdenum, oil and gas, geothermal, and real estate assets, today announced that its partner Houston Energy, L.P. (“HE”), has reached contract depth of 9,300 ft on the third well drilled with HE this year. Productive zones have been identified with approximately 38 ft. of net pay and preliminary analysis indicates the well is commercially productive. Production from the well is expected to commence within the next 60 to 90 days. Actual production rates from the well will be announced at that time.

Under the terms of the participation agreement previously announced, USE paid a third of the costs to drill this initial well to earn a 25% after casing point working interest (17.625% net revenue interest). USE is responsible for 25% of all costs going forward.

“We continue to build momentum with our partner Houston Energy having drilled two successful wells in three attempts,” stated Keith G. Larsen, CEO of U.S. Energy Corp. “This is an important well for U.S. Energy as it represents our largest individual working interest and should provide us with greater exposure to oil in a period of improving commodity pricing,” he added.

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Press Release

August 6, 2009

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About U.S. Energy Corp.

U.S. Energy Corp. is a diversified natural resource company with interests in molybdenum, oil and gas, geothermal and real estate assets. The Company is headquartered in Riverton, Wyoming, and its common stock is listed on The NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol “USEG”.

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Disclosure Regarding Mineral Resources Under SEC and Canadian Regulations; and Forward-Looking Statements

The Company owns or may come to own stock in companies which are traded on foreign exchanges, and may have agreements with some of these companies to acquire and/or develop the Company’s mineral properties. An example is Sutter Gold Mining Inc. These other companies are subject to the reporting requirements of other jurisdictions.

United States residents are cautioned that some of the information available about our mineral properties, which is reported by the other companies in foreign jurisdictions, may be materially different from what the Company is permitted to disclose in the United States.

This news release includes statements which may constitute “forward-looking” statements, usually containing the words “believe,” “estimate,” “project,” “expect," or similar expressions. These statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements inherently involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Factors that would cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, future trends in mineral prices, the availability of capital, competitive factors, and other risks. By making these forward-looking statements, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revision or changes after the date of this release.

For further information on the differences between the reporting limitations of the United States, compared to reports filed in foreign jurisdictions, and also concerning forward-looking statements, please see the Company’s Form 10-K (“Disclosure Regarding Forward-Looking Statements”; “Disclosure Regarding Mineral Resources under SEC and Canadian Regulation”; and “Risk Factors”); and similar disclosures in the Company’s Forms 10-Q.

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For further information, please contact:

Reggie Larsen

Director of Investor Relations

U.S. Energy Corp.

1-800-776-9271

Reggie@usnrg.com

Nick Hurst

The Equicom Group

Investor Relations

1-403-538-4845

nhurst@equicomgroup.com