Exhibit 31.1

                            CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO
                  SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

     I, Robert I. Richards,  Chief Executive  Officer of the Trans Energy,  Inc.
(the "registrant"), certify that:

     1. I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-KSB of Trans Energy, Inc.;

     2. Based on my  knowledge,  this annual  report does not contain any untrue
     statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact  necessary to
     make the statements  made, in light of the  circumstances  under which such
     statements  were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by
     this annual report;

     3. Based on my knowledge,  the financial  statements,  and other  financial
     information included in this annual report,  fairly present in all material
     respects the financial  condition,  results of operations and cash flows of
     the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this annual report;

     4. The  registrant's  other  certifying  officer and I are  responsible for
     establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined
     in Exchange Act Rules  13a-15(e) and  15d-15(e))  for the registrant and we
     have:

          a) designed  such  disclosure  controls and  procedures to ensure that
          material  information  relating  to  the  registrant,   including  its
          consolidated subsidiaries,  is made known to us by others within those
          entities,  particularly  during the period in which this annual report
          is being prepared;

          b)  evaluated  the   effectiveness  of  the  small  business  issuer's
          disclosure  controls and  procedures  and presented in this report our
          conclusions  about the  effectiveness  of the disclosure  controls and
          procedures,  as of the end of the period  covered by this report based
          on such evaluation; and

          c)  disclosed in this report any change in the  registrant's  internal
          control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant's
          most  recent  fiscal  quarter  that  has  materially  affected,  or is
          reasonably  likely to materially  affect,  the  registrant's  internal
          control over financial reporting; and

     5. The registrant's other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on
     our most recent  evaluation,  to the  registrant's  auditors  and the audit
     committee of  registrant's  board of directors (or persons  performing  the
     equivalent function):

          a) all significant  deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design
          or operation of our financial  reporting  internal  controls which are
          reasonably  likely to  adversely  affect the  registrant's  ability to
          record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

          b) any fraud,  whether or not material,  that  involves  management or
          other  employees  who  have a  significant  role  in the  registrant's
          internal controls over financial reporting.

Date:  April 2, 2004

/s/   ROBERT I. RICHARDS
-------------------------------
Robert I. Richards
Chief Executive Officer