HOUSTON – (June 20, 2005) ALON USA has selected Commonwealth Engineering and Construction LLC for the engineering services associated with the Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) project at ALON's 67,000 -barrel-per-day refinery in Big Spring, Texas.

The impetus of the project is an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulation that will become effective June 1, 2006, calling for a reduced target specification from 500 parts per million (ppm) of sulfur to 15 ppm for diesel fuel used in vehicles on the nation's highways. The current specification has been in place since 1993, when the EPA called for a reduction from 5,000 to 500 ppm. In order to meet the new standard, Commonwealth will assist ALON through a revamp of the Big Spring Refinery distillate hydrotreating unit, replacing existing reactor internals and adding a second hydrotreater reactor procured from Verolme in The Netherlands.

“We're extremely pleased to be working with ALON on this important project,” said Commonwealth President and CEO Paul Varello. “ALON's culture and philosophy are much like our own. Both companies are relatively young and growing, but able to draw on a much deeper level of experience.”

Five years ago, ALON acquired the former FINA refinery in Big Spring , improving on this asset by drawing on ALON's corporate history and the more than 75 years of continuous operation of the refinery itself. Similarly, Commonwealth, formed in 2003, has been able to assemble a staff steeped in experience, averaging more than 25 years of engineering background across its entire operations team.

ALON's ULSD Project Manager Jeff Brorman acknowledged that Commonwealth's experience was indeed a key factor in the selection process. “This project has a critical time element and the need for an engineering firm that could potentially handle all facets of its design and implementation. We looked at the backgrounds of the individuals Commonwealth could offer and came away confident that it was the right company for our needs,” he said.