COVINGTON — Security at gasoline production and storage facilities in Kentucky operated by Covington-based Ashland Inc.'s joint venture remains higher than ever after a warning about possible terrorist attacks.

        The FBI has warned energy companies that Osama bin Laden might have approved plans to attack North American energy-related facilities if he's captured or killed.

        And on Monday, hundreds of U.S. Marines moved in on the region of Afghanistan where military officials think Mr. bin Laden may be hiding.

        Marathon Ashland Petro leum, the gasoline refiner and retailer jointly owned by Marathon and Ashland, operates a major refinery in Catlettsburg in eastern Kentucky that employs 1,200. It also has 11 gasoline termi nals in Kentucky, including one on 33rd Street in Latonia.

        Ever since the Sept. 11 attacks, security has increased at all of the company's operations, said Chuck Rice, a spokesman for Marathon Ashland Petroleum, which is based in Findlay, Ohio.

        The efforts have included increased security at access gates and checking all transport trucks going in and out

        of refineries, terminals and other facilities, Mr. Rice said.

        Employees must also show photo identification cards before they are admitted to the facilities, he said.

        “We're taking the new threats very seriously,” Mr. Rice said. “We're on high alert.”

        The alert was sent on Nov. 17 from FBI headquarters to agency field offices, which then forwarded the information to industry officials.

        The alert prompted the American Petroleum Institute, which is the lead industry group coordinating with the FBI and federal Energy Department on security matters, to issue a memo Wednesday to oil and gas companies.

        Attorney General John Ashcroft confirmed the warningMonday, though he expressed doubt attacks would be conditioned on Mr. bin Laden's capture or death.

        “It didn't take anything specific to trigger the attacks on the World Trade Center or the Pentagon,” said Mr. Ashcroft when asked about the alert. Even so, “those are the kinds of reports which we take seriously.”

        The alert did not single out a specific target, but referred to natural gas supplies including the more than 260,000 miles of gas pipelines and hundreds of pumping stations and other facilities.

        “We have received uncorroborated information that Osama bin Laden may have approved plans to attack natural gas supplies in the United States,” according to the memo.

        “Such an attack would allegedly take place in the event that either bin Laden or Taliban leader Mullah Omar are either captured or killed.”

        The FBI alert said the information came “from a source of undetermined reliability” and that “no additional details on how such an attack would be carried out, or which facilities would be targeted” could be learned.

       The Associated Press contributed.

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