**EXHIBIT 31**

 

November 12,2003

 

Via EDGAR

Securities andExchange Commission

JudiciaryPlaza

450 FifthStreet, N.W.

Washington,D.C. 20549

 

Re:                               Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a)Certification (Certification pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Actof 2002)

 

**CERTIFICATION**

 

I, MauroPalladino, certify that:

 

1.               I have reviewed this quarterly report onForm 10-Q of Eastern American Natural Gas Trust, for which The Bank of New Yorkacts as Trustee;

 

2.               Based on my knowledge, this quarterlyreport does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit tostate a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of thecircumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading withrespect to the period covered by this quarterly report;

 

3.               Based on my knowledge, the financialstatements, and other financial information included in this quarterly report,fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, distributableincome and changes in trust corpus to of the registrant as of, and for, theperiods presented in this quarterly report;

 

4.               I am responsible for establishing andmaintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange ActRules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)), or for causing such controls and procedures tobe established and maintained, for the registrant and have:

 

a)              designed such disclosure controls andprocedures, or caused such controls and procedures to be designed, to ensurethat material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidatedsubsidiaries, is made known to me by other within those entities, particularlyduring the period in which this quarterly report is being prepared;

 

b)             evaluated the effectiveness of theregistrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report myconclusions about the effectiveness

 

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c)              of the disclosure controls andprocedures, as of the end of the period covered by this quarterly report basedon such evaluation; and

 

d)             disclosed in this report any changes inthe registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred duringthe registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or isreasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control overfinancial reporting; and

 

5.               I have disclosed, based on my mostrecent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to theregistrant’s auditors:

 

a)              all significant deficiencies and materialweaknesses in the design or operation of internal controls over financialreporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’sability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

 

b)             any fraud, whether or not material, thatinvolves any persons who have a significant role in the registrant’s internalcontrols over financial reporting.

 

In giving the foregoing certifications in paragraphs 4 and 5 above, Ihave relied to the extent I consider reasonable on information provided to meby Eastern American Energy Corporation and Ryder Scott Company, IndependentPetroleum Engineers.

 
|                          |   | By:    | /s/ Mauro  Palladino  |   |
|-------------------------------|--------|--------|-----------------------|--------|
|                          |   |   | Vice  President       |
|                          |   |   | The Bank of  New York |
|                          |   |   |
| Date:  November 12, 2003 |   |   |

 

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