**Exhibit 31.1**

 

CERTIFICATION

 

I,Steven R. McNinch of Western Plains Energy, LLC (the “Company”), certify that:

 

1.          I have reviewed this Form 10-K ofthe Company;

 

2.          Based on my knowledge, this reportdoes not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state amaterial 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 report;

 

3.          Based on my knowledge, the financialstatements, and other financial information included in this report, fairlypresent in all material respects the financial condition, results of operationsand cash flows of the Company as of, and for, the periods presented in thisreport;

 

4.          The Company’s other certifying officer(s) andI are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls andprocedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e))and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and15d-15(f)) for the Company and have:

 

a.             Designed suchdisclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls andprocedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that materialinformation relating to the Company, including its consolidated subsidiaries,is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during theperiod in which this report is being prepared;

 

b.             Designed suchinternal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control overfinancial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonableassurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparationof financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generallyaccepted accounting principles;

 

c.             Evaluated theeffectiveness of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures and presentedin this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosurecontrols and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this reportbased on such evaluation; and

 

d.             Disclosed in thisreport any change in the Company’s internal control over financial reportingthat occurred during the Company’s most recent fiscal quarter (the Company’sfourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materiallyaffected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internalcontrol over financial reporting; and

 

5.          The Company’s other certifying officer(s) andI have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control overfinancial reporting, to the Company’s auditors and the audit committee of theCompany’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

 

a.             All significantdeficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internalcontrol over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adverselyaffect the Company’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financialinformation; and

 

----

 

b.             Any fraud, whetheror not material, that involves management or other employees who have asignificant role in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

 
| Date:     December  24, 2008 |   |
|-------------------------------------------------------|--------|
|                                                  |   |
| /s/  Steven R. McNinch                                |   |
| Steven  R. McNinch                                    |   |

 

----