Work is progressing on the Union Tank Car facility at England Airpark in Alexandria, La. Opening in 2006, the facility will employ 850.

   The quest to mitigate rising energy costs could eventually involve former military installations. U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts (R-Pa.), is pushing energy legislation that includes pegging three erstwhile bases for sites for new refineries. If enacted, Pitts' legislation would give the Secretaries of Defense and Energy 90 days to identify three military sites closed under BRAC that would be suitable for refinery construction. That land would be reserved exclusively for oil refineries for two years.
   But Pitts' plan is meeting opposition from the National Association of Installation Developers (An Association of Defense Communities), a Washington, D.C. organization involved in the economic development of former military bases. NAID/ADC issued a statement saying the plan would interfere with a redevelopment approach developed over the last two decades.
   "The conversion of military property to civilian uses is the responsibility of the community," the organization said. "Communities must be in charge when planning for life after closure. There may be a role for former military installations in helping to increase our refinery capacity, but this is a role that must be determined by the community."
   NAID/ADC said bases recommended for closure in the 2005 BRAC round should only be considered if the community supports oil refinery development as part of its base re-use plan. Previously closed bases should only be considered as viable sites if that use is consistent with the approved redevelopment plan, it said.