**EXHIBIT 12.1**

 

COMPUTATION OF RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGESFOR THE PERIODS ENDED(000’s, except ratios)

 
|                                                |   | **Company**                         |         | **Predecessor**                             |   |
|-----------------------------------------------------|--------|-------------------------------------|--------------|---------------------------------------------|--------|
|                                                |   | **Year  ended  December 31,  2002** |         | **Nine  Months  ended  December 31,  2001** |   | **Three  Months  ended  March 31,  2001** |   | **Years  ended  December 31,** |   |
| **2000**                                            |   | **1999**                            |         | **1998**                                    |
| Earnings:                                           |   |                                |         |                                        |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
| Income before income taxes and  extraordinary items |   | $                                   |  48,204 |                                        | $      |  21,815 |   | $ |  6,201 |   | $ |  73,600 |   | $ |  74,666 |   | $ |  69,417 |   |
| Add:                                                |   |                                |         |                                        |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
| Fixed charges                                       |   | 56,573                              |         | 46,045                                      |   | 3,692 |   | 15,315 |   | 14,514 |   | 13,355 |   |
| Amortization of capitalized interest                |   | 572                                 |         | 429                                         |   | 143 |   | 572 |   | 572 |   | 572 |   |
| Subtract:                                           |   |                                |         |                                        |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
| Interest capitalized                                |   | —                              |         | (196                                        | )      | — |   | (224 | ) | (1,054 | ) | (1,048 | ) |
| Adjusted Earnings                                   |   | $                                   | 105,349      |                                        | $      | 68,093 |   | $ | 10,036 |   | $ | 89,263 |   | $ | 88,698 |   | $ | 82,296 |   |
| Fixed Charges:                                      |   |                                |         |                                        |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
| Interest expensed and capitalized                   |   | $                                   | 50,955       |                                        | $      | 42,531 |   | $ | 3,292 |   | $ | 13,715 |   | $ | 12,972 |   | $ | 11,638 |   |
| Interest portion of rentals                         |   | 1,400                               |         | 1,155                                       |   | 375 |   | 1,500 |   | 1,442 |   | 1,617 |   |
| Amortization of capitalized debt expense            |   | 4,218                               |         | 2,359                                       |   | 25 |   | 100 |   | 100 |   | 100 |   |
|                                                |   | $                                   | 56,573       |                                        | $      | 46,045 |   | $ | 3,692 |   | $ | 15,315 |   | $ | 14,514 |   | $ | 13,355 |   |
| Ratio of earnings to fixed charges                  |   | 1.86                                |         | 1.48                                        |   | 2.72 |   | 5.83 |   | 6.11 |   | 6.16 |   |

 

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