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Commitment to Planet, People, and Principles Drives Meaningful Impact
Activities Cumulatively Contributed Approximately $5 Billion to State GDPs
in the Operating Area Over the Last Four Years
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., May 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Diversified Energy
Company (NYSE: DEC, LSE: DEC) ("Diversified," "DEC," or the "Company") today
announced the publication of its seventh annual Sustainability
Report, PROVEN: Stepping Up When Others Step Away, for calendar year 2025.
The report details the Company’s continued leadership in responsible energy
stewardship, asset retirement, and the meaningful economic and social
contributions Diversified delivers across the communities in which we operate.
The 2025 report reflects Diversified’s unique role in the energy sector:
acquiring established, cash-generating energy assets that others have stepped
away from and managing them with a focus on operational discipline,
environmental rigor, and a long-term commitment to well retirement
obligations. From measurable emissions reductions and an innovative plugging
fund landmark agreement to substantial local investment, the report
underscores how Diversified’s model creates durable value for shareholders,
employees, regulators, and the communities in which we work and live.
Economic Impact
Diversified continues to be a significant economic engine across the
Appalachian, Anadarko, Haynesville and Permian basins, and beyond. In 2025,
the Company directly employed ~2,000 employees and supported an additional
~9,500 ancillary jobs across its operating footprint, while paying ~$980
million in wages and benefits. The Company generated ~$150 million in state
and local tax revenue that funds schools, infrastructure, and essential public
services in rural and energy-producing communities.
Environmental Leadership
Through its Next LVL Energy subsidiary, Diversified has expanded its
well-retirement capabilities, creating skilled jobs while addressing well
retirement obligations for both its own assets and third parties, including
state-led orphan well programs. Notably, the Company pioneered the
first-of-its-kind well retirement fund (Mountain State Plugging Fund), a
common-sense financial solution for long-term retirement obligations.
In 2025, Next LVL Energy and Diversified retired 486 total wells (including
388 company-owned wells and 98 third-party and orphan wells), bringing the
cumulative total retired since program inception to >1,550 wells.
Community Service
The report highlights Diversified’s deep engagement with the communities it
serves through volunteerism, charitable giving, educational partnerships, and
STEM initiatives. In 2025, Diversified and its employees contributed $1.8
million in charitable giving and community investment across some 165
nonprofit and community organizations, and employees logged countless
volunteer hours supporting food banks, first responders, veterans’
organizations, scholarship programs, and community development projects across
the Company’s operating footprint.
Commenting on the report, CEO Rusty Hutson, Jr. said:
“This report is aptly named PROVEN because that is exactly what our team has
done - we have proven, year after year, that responsible stewardship and
strong returns are in harmony, not in conflict. When others step away from
these assets, we step up. We focus on improving performance, retiring wells,
reducing emissions, employing our neighbors, and investing in the communities
that have powered America for generations. I could not be prouder of what our
people have accomplished, and this report tells their story.”
About the Report
PROVEN: Stepping Up When Others Step Away aligns with several sustainability
reporting frameworks, including GRI, SASB, and TCFD, and reflects
Diversified’s commitment to transparent, decision-useful disclosure. View
the 2025 Sustainability Report online at div.energy/sustainability/
(https://www.globenewswire.com/Tracker?data=04NH7J1mDX5ww8MiWUrt-zWz4xWsMUOy3T6HOI1QJi9QwytWL51bH43ITKpNuELuc2HNH5N1GBIjCfjd2vFmC84dphZfDnCE-tvI-LD_ix8iI0uaQd9VS8pkw9aImqRLJ6aXRUXmEXySKU6DRgEKz5iuV5DUClRZ-uDOIFknD-qV5ByBp-5Dq7I-fR3V2NWYhxptlh7tP5_7F2WB6y_8qv3Qs04arjfZkKseiG7Al67lKByb6fGkqmi1S0SHhgtiSWeOFlunDsZsQysjSvCYqA==)
For further information, please contact:
Diversified Energy Company 1 973 856-2757
Doug Kris dkris@dgoc.com
Senior Vice President Investor Relations & Corporate Communications www.div.energy
FTI Consulting dec@fticonsulting.com
U.S. & UK Financial Public Relations
About Diversified Energy Company
Diversified is a leading publicly traded energy company focused on acquiring,
operating, and optimizing cash-generating energy assets. Through our unique
differentiated strategy, we acquire established assets and invest in them to
improve environmental and operational performance until retiring those assets
in a safe and environmentally secure manner. Recognized by ratings agencies
and organizations for our sustainability leadership, this solutions-oriented,
stewardship approach makes Diversified the Right Company at the Right Time to
responsibly produce energy, deliver reliable free cash flow, and generate
shareholder value.