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

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     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:  May 21, 2004


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


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