UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
FORM
8-K
CURRENT
REPORT
Pursuant
to Section 13 OR 15(d) of The Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of
Report (Date of the earliest event reported)
August
6, 2008
Valhi,
Inc.
(Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter)
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Delaware
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1-5467
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87-0110150
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(State
or other jurisdiction of incorporation)
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(Commission
File
Number)
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(IRS
Employer
Identification
No.)
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5430
LBJ Freeway, Suite 1700, Dallas, Texas
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75240-2697
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(Address
of principal executive offices)
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(Zip
Code)
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Registrant’s
telephone number, including area code
(972)
233-1700
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(Former
name or former address, if changed since last report.)
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Check the
appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously
satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following
provisions (see General Instruction A.2):
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o
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Written
communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR
230.425)
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¨
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Soliciting
material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR
240.14a-12)
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¨
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Pre-commencement
communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR
240.14d-2(b))
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¨
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Pre-commencement
communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR
240.13e-4(c))
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Item
7.01
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Regulation
FD Disclosure.
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The
registrant hereby furnishes the information set forth in its press release
issued on August 6, 2008, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and
incorporated herein by reference.
The
information, including the exhibit, the registrant furnishes in this report is
not deemed “filed” for purposes of section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended, or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that
section. Registration statements or other documents filed with the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission shall not incorporate this information
by reference, except as otherwise expressly stated in such filing.
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Item
9.01
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Financial
Statements and Exhibits.
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(d)
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Exhibits
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Item
No.
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Exhibit
Index
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99.1
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Press
release dated August 6, 2008 issued by the
registrant.
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SIGNATURE
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has
duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto
duly authorized.
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Valhi,
Inc.
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(Registrant)
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By: /s/ A. Andrew R. Louis
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Date: August
7, 2008
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A.
Andrew R. Louis, Secretary
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INDEX
TO EXHIBITS
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Item
No.
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Exhibit
Index
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99.1
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Press
release dated August 6, 2008 issued by the
registrant.
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VALHI,
INC. ANNOUNCES WCS TO BEGIN CONSTRUCTION AT ANDREWS
COUNTY SITE
DALLAS, TEXAS ... August 6, 2008 ... Valhi,
Inc. (NYSE: VHI) announced today that its
wholly-owned subsidiary, Waste Control Specialists LLC (“WCS”), had awarded a
three-year, $80 million contract to URS to lead the design and construction of
new permanent disposal facilities and infrastructure improvements at WCS’ site
in Andrews County, Texas.
These new
facilities will enable WCS to begin operations under its license issued by the
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (“TCEQ”) in May 2008 to
dispose of radioactive byproduct material and enhance its bulk waste handling
and disposal capabilities.
The URS
contract contains three separate elements:
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Ø
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The
addition of a railroad loop and facilities for unloading hazardous waste
materials from rail cars;
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Ø
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Construction
of the byproduct disposal landfill;
and
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Ø
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Construction
of a low-level radioactive waste (“LLRW”) disposal
landfill facility upon the TCEQ’s approval of WCS' pending LLRW disposal
license application.
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WCS
President Rodney Baltzer said, “We will immediately begin constructing the
facilities for unloading hazardous waste and for disposal of radioactive
byproduct material since licenses and contracts for those operations have
already been secured. We will not begin constructing the separate LLRW
disposal landfill until the TCEQ issues a license, which is expected to occur in
the near future.”
Mr.
Baltzer also said, “The construction of the byproduct landfill is a significant
step because its design and operation will be very similar to the landfill that
will be permitted under the pending LLRW disposal license. Both landfills
will be on the 1,300 acres that have already been permitted by TCEQ. The
landfills will have similar designs, with disposal in the site's almost
impenetrable red bed claystones. WCS has more than ten years
experience disposing of hazardous and toxic waste at its site and URS has been
significantly involved in the licensing of our facilities and is very familiar
with our site.”
William J. Lindquist, Chief Executive
Officer of WCS said, “WCS has worked closely with the TCEQ on all matters
relating to the design, construction and operations of the facilities to
ensure that waste is permanently
disposed in a manner that is environmentally responsible and safe for our
workers and the public. The pending issuance of the
LLRW disposal license for Class A, B and C low level radioactive waste will give
WCS the broadest range of capabilities of any commercial enterprise in the U.S.
for the storage, treatment and disposal of hazardous, toxic, low level and mixed
low level radioactive waste and radioactive byproduct material. WCS’
unique ability to provide a ‘one-stop solution’ will result in significant cost
and efficiency advantages to the generators of waste.”
Steven L.
Watson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Valhi said, “This major
construction project at WCS’ site in Andrews County, Texas underscores Valhi’s
continuing commitment to the development and success of this business
enterprise. WCS’ facility will provide a location to safely and
economically dispose of waste generated by many critical service providers in
our society, including hospitals, research universities and power
plants. We are proud that our working relationship with the citizens
of Andrews and Lea Counties can provide a comprehensive solution to an important
need in the U.S. and create a significant business and employment opportunity
for the citizens of west Texas and eastern New Mexico.”
Information
about WCS and the remaining licensing process may be found at
www.wcstexas.com.
The WCS
facility in Andrews County, Texas is currently licensed for the processing,
storage and disposal of a broad range of hazardous, toxic and byproduct
wastes and certain types of low-level and mixed low-level radioactive
wastes.
Valhi
is engaged in the titanium dioxide pigments, component products (security
products, furniture components and performance marine components) and waste
management industries.
Statements
in this release that are not historical in nature are forward-looking in nature
that represent the Company’s beliefs and assumptions based on currently
available information. In some cases, these forward-looking
statements can be identified by the use of words such as
“believes,” “intends,” “may,” “should,” “could,” “anticipates,” “expected”
or comparable terminology. Although the Company believes the
expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, the
Company does not know if these expectations will be
correct. Forward-looking statements by their nature involve
substantial risks and uncertainties that could significantly impact expected
results. Actual future results could differ materially from those predicted.
Among the factors that could cause the Company’s actual future results to differ
materially from those described herein are the risks and uncertainties described
from time to time in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.