Right now, much about the world is uncertain. Risks posed by political changes dominate the headlines and also weigh heavily on many decisions made by businesses, their advisors, and their stakeholders....more
4/7/2025
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Governance ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Executive Orders ,
Government Agencies ,
International Trade ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Risk Assessment ,
Risk Management ,
Shareholders ,
Terrorism Funding
Right now, much about the world is uncertain. Risks posed by political changes dominate the headlines and also weigh heavily on many decisions made by corporations, their advisors, and their stakeholders....more
4/2/2025
/ Board of Directors ,
Breach of Duty ,
Corporate Governance ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Executive Orders ,
Liability ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Risk Assessment ,
Risk Management ,
Threshold Requirements
Last month, the Illinois General Assembly passed a bill establishing prevailing wage requirements and tax incentives for high voltage transmission line and utility-scale battery storage projects....more
2/21/2025
/ Construction Industry ,
Electricity ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Sector ,
Energy Storage ,
Infrastructure ,
Offshore Wind ,
Renewable Energy ,
State and Local Government ,
Tax Credits ,
Transmission Grid ,
Utilities Sector
The second Trump presidency has arrived. With it – and particularly the Trump Administration’s push back on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programming at many levels – many organizations are under increased pressure...more
A Texas federal judge recently permitted an environmental, social, and governance- (ESG) related Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) case filed by an airline pilot against his employer and its benefits plan to...more
3/5/2024
/ 401k ,
American Airlines ,
Breach of Duty ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Dispute Resolution ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Investment Management ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Proxy Voting ,
Risk Management ,
Shareholder Activism ,
Sustainability
As we move into 2024, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) concepts continue to feature prominently in policy debates. While ESG still drives policy, the last year has seen “ESG” factors recast from being perceived as...more
The regulated community faces a complex and evolving landscape. As we head into 2024, our team of energy, environmental, and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) attorneys provide insights and guidance on how to...more
12/14/2023
/ CERCLA ,
Chevron Deference ,
Divestment ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Justice ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Hazardous Substances ,
NAAQS ,
Petrochemicals ,
PFAS ,
Plastics ,
Public Disclosure ,
Recycling ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Safe Drinking Water Act ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
2023 saw terms like “ESG,” “greenwashing,” and “circular economy” come into common use. We also saw a tsunami of other environmental, social, and governance (ESG)-related developments at the international, federal, and state...more
12/11/2023
/ Carbon Off-Set Credits ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Class Action ,
Climate Change ,
Cybersecurity ,
Delta Airlines ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Equal Protection ,
EU ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Green Guides ,
Greenwashing ,
Investment Company Act of 1940 ,
Popular ,
Proposed Rules ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Recycling ,
Risk Management ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Students for Fair Admissions v Harvard College ,
Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) ,
Title VI
On October 24, US banking regulators, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the “agencies”), issued long-awaited guidance...more
Renewable energy developers have one final opportunity to comment on changes to the rules that govern the procurement of renewable energy credits in Illinois. In recent years, many states have adopted policies to increase use...more
The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand turned out to be one of the most exciting yet, despite the unexpectedly early exit by the US Women’s National Team (USWNT). It is apparent that other national...more
The International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) standards have joined the climate-disclosure reporting frameworks that take a financial materiality-led approach. While the ISSB standards seek to streamline reporting...more
A group of Delta Air Lines’ customers filed a class action suit alleging that the airline’s marketing claims of carbon neutrality are false and misleading. While this may be the first greenwashing case filed against a major...more
What buzzwords define the environmental space in the past two years? Both “ESG” and “environmental justice” (EJ) are strong contenders. This post outlines how these concepts relate and provides guidance as to how companies...more
The past few years have seen “ESG” — referring to environmental, social, and governance factors that influence decision making — move from being a fringe shareholder proxy issue to a front-of-mind C-suite issue....more
On Friday, January 27, 2023, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed a new law, Public Act 102-1123, which refines county governments’ ability to regulate new commercial wind and solar energy facilities. Specifically, PA...more
With the start of the new year, the ArentFox Schiff Hospitality Industry team reviews 10 of the most pressing legal issues for hospitality companies in 2023.
1. Potential Down Market Pressures. Interest rate increases are...more
1/5/2023
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Brand ,
Compliance ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Data Privacy ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Franchise Agreements ,
FTC Act ,
Greenwashing ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Interest Rate Adjustments ,
Investment ,
Labor Shortage ,
LEED Certified ,
Metaverse ,
NASAA ,
NLRB
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced on December 14, 2022, that it is seeking public comment on potential updates and changes to its “Green Guides,” kicking off a process that may lead to the first significant changes...more
What will happen in the environmental and energy space in 2023? The last year saw transformative changes in the environmental and energy space in the form of historic spending through the federal Inflation Reduction Act, a...more
12/15/2022
/ CERCLA ,
Clean Water Act ,
Climate Change ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Justice ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
General Services Administration (GSA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Hazardous Substances ,
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) ,
NGOs ,
PFAS ,
Popular ,
Sackett ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
US environmental policy changes tend to occur at a glacial pace, particularly at the federal level. Frustrated with the pace of change, environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and state regulators are increasingly...more
12/12/2022
/ Compliance ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Greenwashing ,
NGOs ,
Petrochemicals ,
Plastics ,
Sustainability ,
Transparency
A new federal proposal may reduce the burden and costs for wind energy projects and power lines to ensure compliance with federal wildlife protections. Energy projects often require a wide array of federal, state, and local...more
Projects that produce or recycle wind turbine blades, manufacture energy storage equipment, or refine or blend renewable or low-carbon fuels may qualify for up to a 30 percent tax credit under the Inflation Reduction Act...more
Massachusetts highest court upheld a state trial court’s decision which allowed a closely watched climate-disclosure related challenge filed by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey against ExxonMobil (Exxon) to proceed...more
On March 21, the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed far-reaching climate-related disclosure rules for public companies that do business in the United States.
In a 3-1 vote, the SEC proposed rules that would...more
3/23/2022
/ Capital Markets ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Change ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Financial Statements ,
FSOC ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Net Zero ,
Proposed Rules ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)