EXHIBIT 31

                                  CERTIFICATION

I, Victor P. Stabio, certify that:

1.  I have reviewed the report on Form 10-QSB of Hallador Petroleum
Company;

2.  Based on my knowledge, this  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 report;

3.  Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial
information included in this 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 report;

4.  I am 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 I have:

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

    b)  evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure controls
and procedures and presented in this report my conclusion 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.  I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control
over financial reporting, to the registrant's auditors and the audit committee
of registrant's board of directors;

    a)  all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or
operation of internal control over financial reporting 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 control
over financial reporting.

Date:  November 14, 2003

      /S/ VICTOR P STABIO
          Victor P. Stabio
          Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer