EXHIBIT 31

CERTIFICATION

I, Victor P. Stabio, certify that:

1.  I have reviewed this 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:  August 15, 2005

/S/ VICTOR PSTABIO
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CEO and CFO