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                                                                     EXHIBIT 3.1


                            CERTIFICATE OF AMENDMENT
                                     TO THE
                          CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION
                                       OF
                        TRANSAMERICAN ENERGY CORPORATION


         Pursuant to the provisions of Section 242 of the General Corporation
Law of the State of Delaware, TransAmerican Energy Corporation, a corporation
organized and existing under and by virtue of the General Corporation Law of
the State of Delaware (the "Corporation"), does hereby certify:

         FIRST:  That the Board of Directors of the Corporation, by unanimous
consent pursuant to Section 141(f) of the General Corporation Law of the State
of Delaware, adopted a resolution setting forth and declaring advisable the
following proposed amendments to the Corporation's Certificate of
Incorporation:

         "Article 3 of the Corporation's Certificate of Incorporation be
amended to read in its entirety as follows:

                 3.  The purposes of the corporation are limited to the
                     following:

                 (a)      to acquire from TransAmerican Natural Gas Corporation
                          and from any other persons or entities and to own and
                          hold shares of the capital stock of TransTexas Gas
                          Corporation, a Delaware corporation ("TransTexas"),
                          and TransAmerican Refining Corporation, a Texas
                          corporation ("TARC"), and to sell and transfer such
                          shares if permitted by, and in compliance with, that
                          certain Indenture, dated as of February 15, 1995 (the
                          "Guaranteed Debt Indenture"), among TARC, the
                          Corporation, and First Fidelity Bank, National
                          Association, as Trustee (the "Trustee"), and the TEC
                          Pledge Agreement referred to in the Guaranteed Debt
                          Indenture;

                 (b)      to execute, deliver, and perform a guarantee (the
                          "Guarantee") of the Guaranteed First Mortgage
                          Discount Notes due 2002 and the Guaranteed First
                          Mortgage Notes due 2002 of TARC (the "Guaranteed
                          Debt") issued pursuant to the Guaranteed Debt
                          Indenture;

                 (c)      to execute, deliver, and perform any supplement to
                          the Guaranteed Debt Indenture and take any other
                          action contemplated pursuant to the terms of the
                          Guaranteed Debt Indenture, in each case provided the
                          same is approved by the holders of the Guaranteed
                          Debt pursuant to the terms of the Guaranteed Debt
                          Indenture to the extent, if any, that such approval
                          is required thereby;
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                 (d)      to pledge shares of the capital stock of TransTexas
                          and TARC owned by the Corporation as security for the
                          Guaranteed Debt and performance of the Corporation's
                          obligations under the Guarantee;

                 (e)      to acquire, own, and hold the Guaranteed Debt and 8%
                          Preferred Stock (as defined in the Guaranteed Debt
                          Indenture), subject to the limitations on such
                          acquisition and ownership set forth in the Guaranteed
                          Debt Indenture;

                 (f)      to issue and sell debt securities, whether unsecured
                          or secured by any or all assets of the Corporation,
                          whether issued at a discount or face value, in an
                          aggregate principal amount which results in net
                          proceeds to the Corporation of up to $1.4 billion
                          (such securities, whether represented by one or more
                          promissory notes, collectively the "TEC Notes"), with
                          such other terms and conditions as approved by the
                          Corporation's Board of Directors, provided the
                          following conditions are satisfied:

                          (i)     at least $500 million of the net proceeds
                                  from the TEC Notes are concurrently advanced
                                  to TARC, as a loan or otherwise; and

                          (ii)    at least $300 million principal amount of the
                                  Guaranteed Debt is concurrently purchased by
                                  TARC pursuant to an offer by TARC to purchase
                                  all of the Guaranteed Debt (the "TARC
                                  Repurchase").

                 (g)      to pledge any or all of the assets of the Corporation
                          as security for the TEC Notes;

                 (h)      to loan or contribute, on such terms as shall be
                          approved by the Board of Directors of the
                          Corporation, all or any part of the net proceeds
                          received by the Corporation from sale of the TEC
                          Notes and any other funds of the Corporation to
                          TransTexas and/or TARC, provided TARC concurrently
                          completes the TARC Repurchase;

                 (i)      to redeem the Corporation's Series A Preferred Stock
                          as permitted by the Corporation's Certificate of
                          Designation of Series A Preferred Stock, as amended
                          and as may be amended from time to time in accordance
                          with applicable law;

                 (j)      to distribute to TransAmerican Natural Gas
                          Corporation, the parent corporation of the
                          Corporation, up to $40 million, provided TARC
                          concurrently completes the TARC Repurchase;

                 (k)      to make a tender offer for up to all of the
                          outstanding common stock purchase warrants of TARC,
                          on such terms and at such price as shall be approved
                          by





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                          the Board of Directors of the Corporation, and,
                          provided TARC concurrently completes the TARC
                          Repurchase, to purchase such warrants pursuant to
                          such tender offer; and

                 (l)      to do all other things and acts, to execute, deliver
                          and perform all other instruments, documents and
                          certificates and to pay all costs, fees and taxes as
                          may be necessary, proper, or advisable in order to
                          carry out and comply with the foregoing purposes."

         "Article 11 of the Corporation's Certificate of Incorporation be
         amended to read in its entirety as follows:

                 11.  The Corporation shall not incur, become, or remain liable
         for any indebtedness other than as permitted by Article 3 hereof."

         "Paragraph D of the Certificate of Designation of Series A Preferred
         Stock of the Corporation filed February 21, 1995 be amended to read in
         its entirety as follows:

         D.      Redemption.

                 (1)      Definitions.  For purposes of this Paragraph D, the
         following terms shall be defined as indicated:

                 (a)  "Debt Purchase Date" means the date on which
                 TransAmerican Refining Corporation, a Texas corporation and a
                 wholly-owned subsidiary of the Corporation ("TARC"), purchases
                 (the "TARC Repurchase") not less than $300 million in
                 aggregate principal amount of its outstanding Guaranteed First
                 Mortgage Discount Notes due 2002 and its Guaranteed First
                 Mortgage Notes due 2002 pursuant to a tender offer by TARC for
                 all of such notes.

                 (b)  "Mandatory Redemption date" means December 31, 2002.

                 (c)  "Redemption Date" means the earlier of (i) the Mandatory
                 Redemption Date, or (ii) the date specified by the Corporation
                 which is any date on or after the Debt Purchase Date.

                 (d)  "Redemption Price" means cash per share equal to $100.00
                 (as adjusted for any stock split, reverse stock split, stock
                 dividend or similar event with respect to the Series A Stock)
                 together with all unpaid dividends (if any) accrued to the
                 Redemption Date.

                 (2)      Redemption.  The Corporation may redeem or shall be
         required to redeem, as applicable, the Series A Stock as follows (a
         "Redemption"):





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                 (a)  The Corporation, to the extent it may lawfully do so,
                 may, at its election, at any time on or after the Debt
                 Purchase Date, redeem the Series A Stock by paying the
                 Redemption Price. To the extent the Corporation makes such
                 election to redeem the Series A Stock, holders of Series A
                 Stock of record on the Redemption Date shall be entitled to
                 the Redemption Price.

                 (b)  If any shares of Series A Preferred Stock are outstanding
                 on the Mandatory Redemption Date, the Corporation shall, to
                 the extent it may lawfully do so, redeem such shares of the
                 Series A Stock on the Mandatory Redemption Date by paying the
                 Redemption Price.

                 (c)  Any Redemption shall be of all outstanding Series A Stock
                 to the extent the funds of the Corporation legally available
                 for redemption of shares of Series A Stock on the Redemption
                 Date are sufficient.

                 (3)      Notice of Redemption.  The Corporation shall notify
         each holder of Series A Stock of the Redemption at least three days
         prior to the Redemption Date.  Such notice, which, at the
         Corporation's election, may be conditioned on the TARC Repurchase
         being consummated (a "Redemption Notice"), shall be sent to the
         address last shown on the records of the Corporation for each holder
         of Series A Stock or given by the holder to the Corporation for the
         purpose of notice or, if no such address appears or is given, at the
         place where the principal business office of the Corporation is
         located.

                 (4)      Redemption Procedure.  On or after the Redemption
         Date, each holder of Series A Stock shall surrender to the Corporation
         the certificate or certificates representing such holder's shares of
         Series A Stock at the principal business office of the Corporation or
         such other place as the Corporation may designate in the Redemption
         Notice.

                 (5)      Partial Redemption.  If the funds of the Corporation
         legally available for redemption of shares of Series A Stock on the
         Redemption Date are insufficient to redeem the total number of shares
         of Series A Stock to be redeemed, those funds which are legally
         available will be used to redeem the maximum possible number of such
         shares ratably among the holders of such shares to be redeemed.  At
         any time thereafter, when additional funds of the Corporation are
         legally available for the redemption of shares of Series A Stock, such
         funds will immediately be used to redeem the balance of the shares
         which the Corporation has become obligated to redeem on the Redemption
         Date but which it has not redeemed.  All shares of Series A Stock not
         redeemed on the Redemption Date shall remain outstanding and entitled
         to all rights, preferences, and privileges except those specifically
         excluded in this Section D(5)."

         SECOND:  That thereafter, pursuant to resolution of the Board of
Directors, the proposed amendment was submitted to the common stockholders and
the preferred stockholders of the Corporation, and the necessary number of
shares of common stock and preferred stock as required





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by statute and by the Corporation's Certificate of Incorporation gave written
consent in accordance with Section 228 of the General Corporation Law of the
State of Delaware to approve and adopt the amendment.

         THIRD:  That said amendment was duly adopted in accordance with the
provisions of Section 242 of the General Corporation Law of the State of
Delaware.

         FOURTH:  That this Certificate of Amendment shall be effective upon
the filing hereof.

         IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Corporation has caused this Amendment to its
Certificate of Incorporation to be executed this 4th day of June, 1997.

                                            TRANSAMERICAN ENERGY CORPORATION
                                            
                                            
                                            By:      /s/ Ed Donahue            
                                               --------------------------------
                                                     Ed Donahue, Vice President





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