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)
January
14, 2009
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 January 14, 2009, 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 January 14, 2009 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: January
14, 2009
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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 January 14, 2009 issued by the
registrant.
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Valhi,
Inc. Announces Issuance of Final
Low-Level
Radioactive Waste Disposal License
DALLAS,
TEXAS . . . January 14, 2009 . . . Valhi, Inc. (NYSE: VHI) announced today that
the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality issued a final license for the
near-surface disposal of Class A, B and C low-level radioactive waste (“LLRW”) to Waste Control
Specialists LLC (“WCS”), a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Valhi, at its site in Andrews County, Texas. The
license allows WCS to operate a Texas Compact (comprised of Texas and Vermont)
LLRW disposal facility and a federal LLRW disposal facility.
“WCS and
the citizens of Andrews and Lea Counties and the Permian Basin have been waiting
for this day for many years,” said William J. Lindquist, Chief Executive Officer
of WCS. “The state of Texas will now be able to meet its obligations
to the power plants, hospitals,
universities, research institutes and other industrial generators in the
Texas Compact to permanently dispose of their LLRW. This final
license combined with the recently issued byproduct material disposal license
and our existing permits and licenses gives WCS the broadest range of capabilities of
any commercial enterprise in the U.S. for the storage, treatment and permanent
disposal of hazardous, toxic, low-level and mixed LLRW and radioactive byproduct
material. We believe WCS has a significant and valuable
competitive advantage in this multi-billion dollar industry. The only U.S.
commercial facility currently authorized to accept low-level and mixed LLRW is
limited to disposing of Class A waste, while WCS will be able to permanently
dispose of Class A, B and C LLRW. We believe it is very unlikely
another LLRW disposal facility will be opened in the U.S. in the foreseeable
future.”
“WCS has
entered into a contract with URS Corporation’s Washington Division to design,
engineer and construct the LLRW and byproduct material disposal
sites. The byproduct site is expected to be operational in the second
quarter of 2009. Construction of the LLRW site is expected to
commence in the second quarter of 2009, following the completion of some
pre-construction licensing and administrative matters, and is expected to be
operational in the second quarter of 2010,” said Mr. Lindquist.
Steven L.
Watson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Valhi, said “Valhi has
supported WCS’ operations and licensing efforts for over 13 years and we are
pleased that the work of the large number of skilled individuals involved has
resulted in the issuance of this license. With the continuing
uncertainty of commercial and federal LLRW disposal availability in the U.S., we
believe WCS’ growth opportunities are extraordinary. We thank the
citizens of the Permian Basin for their overwhelming support in the past and we
look forward to our continuing partnership, as WCS significantly grows and
expands this business.”
The WCS
facility in Andrews County, Texas is currently licensed for the processing,
storage and disposal of a broad range of hazardous and toxic waste, byproduct
material and certain types of low-level and mixed LLRW.
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.
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