PITTSBURGH—Liberty Tire Recycling's acquisition of Lakin Tire represents "a perfect opportunity" to combine and leverage the strengths of both organizations, according to Liberty CEO Thomas Womble.

On May 30, 1977, Miles Moore walked into the offices of Rubber & Plastics News for the first time. Forty-three years later, he closes a chapter on a long and successful career with Crain Communications.

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Senate has approved a bill designed to provide $2.2 trillion worth of aid to workers, small businesses and large corporations in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. Tire industry association leaders break down what that means for their members.

The entire U.S. oil and gas industry may be facing a new phase of deep restructuring because of the oil price collapse, rivaling the vast changes made in the mid-1980s, according to Tom Ellacott, senior vice president, corporate upstream for natural resources analytics firm Wood Mackenzie.

HARBEL, Liberia—Bridgestone Americas said "continued and unsustainable losses" mandated the layoff of hundreds of workers at its Firestone Liberia natural rubber plantation in Harbel.

PORT NECHES, Texas—Roughly 100 employees at TPC Group's Port Neches butadiene extraction facility face layoffs as the company works to rebuild the site in the wake of the Nov. 27 explosions.

WASHINGTON—Rubber product and chemical producers in China are facing the same sweeping impacts as other industries in the continuing threat of the coronavirus.

GREENVILLE, S.C.—A South Carolina federal court has set the schedule for discovery, mediation and jury selection in a case brought by Michelin North America that accuses a former employee of divulging trade secrets.

DIAMOND BAR, Calif.—Vehicle technology, education, tariffs and trade, and preserving the rights of motorists to transform street vehicles into race cars are among the top issues in 2020 for the Specialty Equipment Market Association.

BETHESDA, Md.—"Your Car, Your Data, Your Choice" was the Auto Care Association's primary campaign in 2019, and the association has vowed to continue its fight for vehicle data access through 2020.

WASHINGTON—It may not be easy, but tire and rubber industry association officials believe they can achieve progress in 2020 through diligent lobbying and industry friends on Capitol Hill. Progress, they said, is especially crucial in four areas: infrastructure, tire registration and recalls, recycling/sustainability, and data access.

PORT NECHES, Texas—It will take "a phased approach over many months and years" for TPC Group to remove hazardous materials from its Port Neches butadiene extraction facility and restore its operations in the wake of a disastrous conflagration that occurred in November.

WASHINGTON—President Trump has signed into law the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement, his replacement for the North American Free Trade Agreement.

WASHINGTON—The "Phase 1" trade agreement between the U.S. and China received mixed reviews from panelists at Mobility Talks International, held Jan. 22 as part of the annual Washington Auto Show.

TERRE HAUTE, Ind.—Recycled carbon black manufacturer Pyrolyx U.S.A. has obtained approval for up to $70 million in bonds to finance the building of a second rCB plant in Terre Haute.