An “all out, all of the above strategy”
Controlled by his administration, of course
Was the first punch just thrown?
From the DOJ website, emphasis mine:
WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice today announced that it has reached a settlement with Gunnison Energy Corporation (GEC), SG Interests I Ltd. and SG Interests VII Ltd. (SGI) that requires the companies to pay a total of $550,000 to the United States for antitrust and False Claims Act violations related to an agreement not to compete in bidding for four natural gas leases sold at auction by the U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Today’s action marks the first time the Department of Justice has challenged an anticompetitive bidding agreement for mineral rights leases.
The department’s Antitrust Division today filed a civil antitrust complaint in U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, and at the same time filed a proposed settlement that, if approved by the court, would resolve the lawsuit. The complaint alleges that the agreement between GEC and SGI restrained trade in violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act.
“Today’s unprecedented antitrust enforcement action involving illegal bidding at Bureau of Land Management auctions, demonstrates the U.S. government’s resolve to ensure there is vigorous competition for federal oil and gas rights,” said Sharis A. Pozen, Acting Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. “At a time of budgetary constraint, it is crucial that the federal government receive the most competitive prices for these important leases, which ultimately benefits American taxpayers.”
Also:
As a result of the agreement between GEC and SGI, the United States received less revenue from the sale of the four leases than it would have had SGI and GEC competed at the auctions. The United States has the legal ability to obtain monetary damages when it has been injured by an antitrust violation. The proposed settlement provides that GEC and SGI each pay $275,000 to the United States to resolve the antitrust violations.
