DELTA PETROLEUM CORPORATION

Roger A. Parker, Chairman and CEO

John R. Wallace, President and COO

Kevin K. Nanke, Treasurer and CFO

Dave Donegan, VP Corporate Communications

370 Seventeenth Street, Suite 4300

Denver, Colorado 80202

For Immediate Release

DELTA PETROLEUM CORPORATION ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL NEW HIRE SHARE GRANTS

DENVER, Colorado (January 3, 2007) -- Delta Petroleum Corporation (the “Company”) (NASDAQ Global Market: DPTR), an independent energy exploration and development company, today announced that a total of 7,398 shares of its common stock were granted to five new employees on December 31, 2006 as an inducement to entering into employment with the Company. All of these grants were made to non-executive officer employees under the Company's 2006 New Hire Plan. The shares granted to these employees vest over a three-year period. 

Delta Petroleum Corporation is an oil and gas exploration and development company based in Denver, Colorado. The Company's core areas of operations are the Gulf Coast and Rocky Mountain regions, which comprise the majority of its proved reserves, production and long-term growth prospects. Its common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol "DPTR." 

For further information contact the Company at (303) 293-9133 or via email at info@deltapetro.com

OR

RJ Falkner & Company, Inc., Investor Relations Counsel at (800) 377-9893 or via email at info@rjfalkner.com