On Wednesday a federal judge blocked the proposed merger of Dallas, Texas, based Waste Control Specialists and its biggest rival, Energy Solutions.
Judge Sue L. Robinson agreed with the federal government’s arguments that the deal would violate antitrust law. The complaint pointed out that a merger would combine the only two commercial low-level radioactive waste disposal facilities for 36 states.
Andrew Finch, acting assistant attorney general of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, said in a written statement, “Substantial evidence showed that head-to-head competition between EnergySolutions and Waste Control Specialists led to better disposal services at lower prices… Today’s decision protects competition in an industry that is incredibly difficult to enter. While EnergySolutions’ preference was to buy its main rival rather than continue to compete to win business, today’s decision ensures that customers will benefit from the competitive process.”
Environmentalists have opposed Waste Control Specialists’ plans for several reasons, including concerns that the temporary storage of a few decades could become permanent. Additionally, if the site were only temporary, groups have said there are additional risks to moving the waste twice.
The US Attorney General officially sued in November to stop the deal.
Full Content: Dallas News
Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.
Featured News
College Sports Leaders in Intensive Talks to Settle NIL Antitrust Case Against NCAA
Apr 30, 2024 by
CPI
EU Investigates Facebook’s and Instagram’s Handling of Disinformation Ahead of Elections
Apr 30, 2024 by
CPI
Antitrust Lawsuit Targets Hotel Giants for Alleged Price Fixing with AI
Apr 30, 2024 by
CPI
ABA Seeks to Join FTC Lawsuit Against Amazon Over Antitrust Concerns
Apr 30, 2024 by
CPI
Google Agrees to Pay News Corp for AI-Related Content
Apr 30, 2024 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – Economics of Criminal Antitrust
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
Navigating Economic Expert Work in Criminal Antitrust Litigation
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
The Increased Importance of Economics in Cartel Cases
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
A Law and Economics Analysis of the Antitrust Treatment of Physician Collective Price Agreements
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
Information Exchange In Criminal Antitrust Cases: How Economic Testimony Can Tip The Scales
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI