Atlas Supply Co.

Atlas Supply Co., and its shareholders, Chevron U.S.A., Inc. and BP Exploration and Oil, Inc. (collectively, Atlas), have petitioned the Federal Trade Commission to terminate a 1951 FTC order resulting from charges that Atlas knowingly accepted discriminatory prices for tires, batteries and automotive products, in violation of antitrust laws. The companies seek termination pursuant to the Commission's "sunsetting" policy, under which the Commission presumes that the public interest requires terminating competition orders more than 20 years old. Atlas Supply Company is based in Newark, New Jersey.

The order at issue, modified in October 1985, prohibits Atlas from receiving illegal allowances or knowingly accepting or inducing discriminatory prices in their purchase of automotive tires, tubes, batteries, accessories or other automobile products.

The petition will be subject to public comment for 30 days, until July 5, after which the Commission will issue its decision. Comments should be directed to the FTC, Office of the Secretary, 6th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580.

Copies of the petition to reopen and set aside the order and of the order itself are available from the FTC's Public Reference Branch, Room 130, same address as above.

(FTC Docket No. 5794)