Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, December 22, 1994                   TAG: 9412220093
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B-8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

IN BUSINESS

SEALESTON - A Baltimore company plans to seek approval to build a tire recycling plant on the site of the new commercial landfill in King George County.

The plant would heat as many as 6 million tires per year in a large closed oven, breaking them down into several basic components, which would be sold.

Paul Petzrick, a Baltimore consultant and expert in the technology to be used at the new plant, said it would probably be the largest of its kind in the world. David Neale, chief of development for MTR Limited Partnership, said the King George operation would be virtually pollution-free because it would heat, rather than burn, the scrap tires.

- Associated Press

Coming regulations affect gas prices

The average price of self-serve regular unleaded in cities selling only conventional gasoline dropped 0.9 cent a gallon this week, compared with a 0.2 cent drop in areas where new pollution control regulations will force a switch next month to reformulated fuel, the American Automobile Association reported Wednesday.

The Orlando, Fla.-based motor club's weekly survey shows self-serve regular unleaded averages $1.234 per gallon in cities that will sell only reformulated gasoline beginning Jan. 1, compared with $1.12 in cities selling conventional gas.

The average price of self-serve premium unleaded is down 0.5 cent to $1.416 per gallon in cities that will sell reformulated fuel. In cities with only conventional gas, the average price fell 1.5 cents to $1.284.

- Associated Press

Insurance going up for bad Va. drivers

RICHMOND - State regulators have approved an insurance rate increase for Virginians with the worst driving records.

The state Bureau of Insurance is raising rates for the Virginia Automobile Insurance Plan 9.4 percent next year, less than half the 19.9 percent sought by automobile insurers.

State regulators scaled back the insurers' request because they thought estimates of the cost of covering assigned-risk drivers from damages caused by uninsured drivers were too high, said state Insurance Commissioner Steven T. Foster.

The increase takes effect in February for new policies and in March for renewals.

- Associated Press

Briefly ...

Investment partners Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and Whitehall Associates said Wednesday they have completed their exchange offer for common stock of Borden Inc., New York parent of Meadow Gold Dairy Inc. of Roanoke. The investment groups said Borden shareholders have tendered about 90 million shares or 63.5 percent of outstanding Borden stock.

A Minnesota manufacturing firm is building a plant in Buchanan County that will create about 45 jobs, company officials said. Multi-Block Inc. makes products from recycled tires, such as highway safety barriers and landscape blocks. The company said the facility may bring as many as 90 jobs within 11/2 years.