FOR YOUR INFORMATION...................September 16, 1988



     The Federal Trade Commission has given final approval to the
following consent agreements that it had previously accepted and
placed on the public record for comment:

     -    Tenneco Inc.  The consent agreement settles charges
against Tenneco, the selling firm, alleging that it violated the
antitrust laws.  The complaint alleges that the acquisition by
Occidental Petroleum Corp. of Tenneco Polymers, Inc., could
substantially reduce competition in the production of three
polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resin product markets.  The agreement
was placed on the public record on May 11, 1988 and issued July
19, 1988.  (Docket No. 9205)

     -    Victoria Allergy and Asthma Clinic.  The consent
agreement settles charges that Dr. Robert E. Harvey and Dr.
Gullapali K. Rao conspired with allergists in Texas to boycott
the manufacture of new allergy testing products.  The complaint
charged that the purpose of the boycott was to prevent
competition by preventing manufacturers from selling the new
products to physicians who are not allergists.  The agreement was
placed on the public record on May 11, 1988 and issued August 26,
1988.  (Docket No. C-3239)

     -    Newport, Rhode Island Obstetricians.  The consent
agreement settles charges that five Rhode Island obstetricians
illegally conspired to refuse to accept new Medicaid patients
unless the state raised Medicaid payments for their services. 
The agreement was placed on the public record on June 1, 1988 and
issued August 26, 1988.  (Docket Nos. C-3232, 3234, 3235, 3236,
and 3237)

     Consent orders are for settlement purposes only and do not
constitute admission of a law violation.  When issued in final
form, consent orders carry the force of law with respect to
future actions.  Each violation of such an order may result in a
civil penalty of up to $10,000.




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„A press release summarizing the complaint and consent
agreement in each case was issued at the time of acceptance. 
Copies of the press releases and orders are available from the
FTC's Public Reference Branch, Room 130, 6th St. and Pennsylvania
Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C.  20580; 202-326-2222; TTY 202-326-
2502.

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MEDIA CONTACT:      Brenda A. Mack, Office of Public Affairs,
                    202-326-2180


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