The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality (DAQ) is accepting public comment on a draft air quality permit modification for Columbia Plywood Corp.—Columbia Carolina Division, the company’s plywood manufacturing facility in Old Fort, NC.

If approved, the modification would allow Columbia Plywood to install an air curtain incinerator unit from AirBurners at the facility to burn its wood waste for disposal—increasing potential emissions thresholds, thus requiring a Title V air quality permit.

AirBurners incinerators, branded as FireBox, were designed principally as a pollution control device for open burning. The primary objective of an air curtain machine is to reduce the particulate matter, which results from burning clean wood waste. Using a technology called “air curtain,” the smoke particles are trapped and reburned, reducing them to an acceptable limit per EPA guidelines.

Hexion, a leader in adhesives, systems, and AI technologies for wood panel manufacturing, announced a partnership with Bloom Biorenewables, a Swiss startup, which has developed a breakthrough method for preserving the natural adhesive properties of lignin, according to a Hexion statement. The companies seek to commercialize a renewable, high-performance alternative to synthetic adhesives.

Bloom has reportedly developed a unique and cost-effective process for extracting native lignin, a naturally occurring adhesive found in wood, while maintaining its chemical structure. This is a significant scientific achievement: traditional methods for isolating lignin typically cause it to condense, destroying the reactive groups responsible for its adhesive strength and rendering it unsuitable for industrial use, according to Hexion. Bloom’s method uses low-cost aldehydes during the extraction process to protect these critical chemical groups. As a result, the company can recover high-quality, uncondensed lignin at commercial scale—“an industry first.”

This innovation opens the door to a new class of 100% plant-based adhesives that combine strong bonding performance while also being environmentally friendly. Not only are these adhesives safer for people and the planet, but they also help manufacturers extract up to 80% more value from the same wood feedstock by using parts of the tree that would otherwise be wasted.

“For decades, the industry has operated under the assumption that strong performance and full renewability couldn’t coexist in wood adhesives. This partnership shatters that assumption,” says Michael Lefenfeld, President & CEO, Hexion. “By combining Bloom’s breakthrough in lignin science with Hexion’s industrial and AI-enhanced manufacturing expertise, we’re not just offering a new product—we’re opening a new chapter for our industry.”

The partnership between Hexion and Bloom is focused on one final critical step: Enabling manufacturing-ready, adhesive-grade lignin through a scalable method that activates lignin’s evolved functionality without additional chemicals. This effort represents a transformative leap in bio-based manufacturing—replacing fossil-derived resins with sustainable, high-performance alternatives made entirely from wood.

Lorenz Manker, Chief Commercial Officer at Bloom Biorenewables, adds, “With Hexion, we’re proving that it’s possible to build adhesives that are both powerful and 100% bio-based.”

Union Pacific Corp. and Norfolk Southern Corp. announced an agreement to create America’s first transcontinental railroad. The companies will seamlessly connect more than 50,000 route miles across 43 states from the East Coast to the West Coast, linking approximately 100 ports and nearly every corner of North America. This combination will transform the U.S. supply chain, unleash the industrial strength of American manufacturing, and create new sources of economic growth and workforce opportunity that preserves union jobs, according to  the companies. 

“Railroads have been an integral part of building America since the Industrial Revolution, and this transaction is the next step in advancing the industry,” comments Jim Vena, Union Pacific CEO, referencing the new Union Pacific Transcontinental Railroad.

The Union Pacific Transcontinental Railroad will decrease highway congestion, reducing wear-and-tear on taxpayer-funded roads. Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern invest approximately $5.6 billion annually in infrastructure, innovation, and network expansion.

“Norfolk Southern, like Union Pacific, is a railroad integral to the U.S. economy, with a storied 200-year legacy of serving customers across 22 states in the eastern half of the nation,” says Mark George, CEO, Norfolk Southern. “Our safety, network, and financial performance is among the best we’ve had as a company, as is our customer satisfaction. And it is from this position of strength that we embark on this transformational combination.”

 U.S. freight railroads move approximately 1.5 billion tons of material and goods every year. The combination will unlock rail options for shippers in regions where railroad connections are less efficient, such as the Ohio Valley and on both sides of the Mississippi River (“watershed” markets), creating a more accessible, sustainable, and lower-cost supply chain for manufacturers and consumers.

With access to 10 international interchanges and approximately 100 ports, the Union Pacific Transcontinental Railroad will unlock strong international trade routes and offer greater access to U.S.-made goods.

The combination will improve transit times, removing several days by eliminating car touches and interchanges where rail cars are handed off. Customers will have the ability to quickly receive single-line rate quotes with one system to track freight, enabling real-time decisions that optimize supply chains.

Short lines and their shippers will have access to a unified rail network with a single Class I interface, new services, and reduced gateway delays. U.S. ports served by the transcontinental railroad will have expanded reach and faster access to new markets. 

The Board of Directors of both Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern unanimously approved the transaction, which is subject to STB review and approval within its statutory timeline, customary closing conditions, and shareholder approval. The companies are targeting closing the transaction by early 2027.  

Under the terms of the agreement, Norfolk Southern shareholders will receive 1.0 Union Pacific common share and $88.82 in cash for each share of Norfolk Southern. The implied value of $320 per share represents an implied total enterprise value for Norfolk Southern of $85 billion. Union Pacific will issue a total of approximately 225 million shares to Norfolk Southern shareholders, representing 27% ownership in the combined company. 

Based on 2024 results, the pro-forma combined company would have revenues of approximately $36 billion, EBITDA of approximately $18 billion, operating ratio of 62%, and free cash flow of $7 billion. 

The combined company will be headquartered in Omaha, Neb. Atlanta, Ga. will remain a core location for the combined organization over the long-term with a focus on technology, operations, and innovation, among other priorities.

Having proudly served the wood products and biomass energy sectors across the U.S. for 40 years, the company celebrated this milestone at Evergreen Engineering’s 40th Anniversary Open House in mid-August in Atlanta with a celebration planned for Oregon in mid-September.

Co-CEO Justin Price says, “A heartfelt thank you to those companies who joined us—it meant a lot to have you there. Your continued partnership, trust, and collaboration have played a big part in Evergreen’s journey and success over the past four decades. We’re grateful to work with such an incredible group of people and companies!”

Evergreen Engineering, Inc. was incorporated in 1985 with headquarters in Eugene, Ore., originally served mainly the forest products industries (wood products and pulp & paper) that used to be predominant in the Pacific Northwest.

In 2016, Evergreen opened an office in Atlanta, Ga. to better serve clients in the southeastern U.S. Danielle Daniels and Justin Price became Evergreen’s Co-CEOs in 2022.

As early as 1986, Evergreen began to diversify into other industries, including metals (steel and titanium) and chemicals (adhesives). This diversification continued over the next few years into power and energy systems, especially as related to utilities for industrial plants, and biomass production.