During its 83rd session from April 7 to 11, 2025, the International Maritime Organisation's (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) approved, among other things, new fuel standards for ships and the first...more
On April 8, 2025, President Trump issued a series of executive orders directing the federal government to analyze state-level climate policies targeting fossil fuel consumption and environmental regulations. This action...more
4/11/2025
/ Cap-and-Trade ,
Clean Energy ,
Climate Change ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal v State Law Application ,
Fossil Fuel ,
Oil & Gas ,
State and Local Government ,
Trump Administration
On April 3, 2025, the European Parliament adopted, by an overwhelming majority, a Directive that would “stop the clock” on certain reporting requirements under the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), as...more
The European Commission proposed the EU Omnibus package on February 26 to reduce the burden, and delay application, of the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the EU Corporate Sustainability Due...more
4/2/2025
/ Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainability
The UK Home Office has released revised statutory guidance to support businesses in meeting their obligations under Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, which requires organizations operating in the UK with annual...more
The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has released a 132-page draft revision of the Corporate Net-Zero Standard (Version 2.0). Key proposed changes include...more
4/1/2025
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Policies ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Net Zero ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainability
REDD+ stands for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, with the "+" representing the additional focus on conservation, sustainable management, and forest carbon stock enhancement. Originally formalized...more
While federal policymaking has already begun to shift away from the climate change programs of the Obama and Biden administrations, many states are expected to continue pursuing expansive climate policies and building upon...more
The European Union published its long-awaited "Omnibus" package, proposing to delay key European ESG rules, while simultaneously reducing the applicability and burden of corporate sustainability reporting and due diligence...more
2/27/2025
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Due Diligence ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Investors ,
Omnibus Guidance ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Sustainability
On December 26, 2024, New York enacted a law requiring certain energy companies to contribute cumulatively $75 billion to a climate "superfund" over the next 25 years....more
1/10/2025
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Clean Air Act ,
Climate Change ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Litigation ,
Environmental Policies ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
New Legislation ,
New York ,
Oil & Gas ,
Regulatory Reform ,
State and Local Government ,
Superfund
New ESG regulations are expected to have a significant impact on disclosure and governance obligations for EU and non-EU companies alike, including extensive sustainability reporting and due diligence requirements on...more
12/11/2024
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Coal Mines ,
Energy Policy ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Hague Convention ,
Infrastructure ,
Pollution Control ,
Shell Oil
As companies operating in the European Union ("EU") likely now know, new environmental, social, and governance ("ESG") regulations are set to have a significant impact on disclosure and governance obligations for EU and...more
12/10/2024
/ Business Strategies ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainability
The voluntary carbon credit ("VCC") market has become increasingly important in achieving net-zero goals for companies. However, the market has recently undergone scrutiny after reports of ineffective VCCs. Recent parallel...more
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC” or “Commission”) has inserted itself in recent years into efforts to scale the cash market for “high integrity” voluntary carbon credits. On September 20, 2024, the Commission...more
The California legislature continues to press forward with the implementation of two of the state's sweeping climate disclosure laws after a proposal to delay the implementation dates by the governor failed to be considered...more
On September 10, 2024, the SEC settled charges against Keurig for "incomplete and inaccurate" ESG disclosures about the recyclability of Keurig's K-Cup pods, signaling a continued focus on environmental-related disclosures...more
The Situation: While U.S. states continue to legislate pay equity and transparency obligations, significant changes are on the horizon in the European Union that will impact U.S. companies with sizeable operations there. The...more
6/6/2024
/ Disclosure Requirements ,
Due Diligence ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Pay ,
EU ,
EU Directive ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Gender-Based Pay Discrimination ,
International Labor Laws ,
Labor Reform ,
New Rules ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Pay Gap ,
Pay Transparency ,
Reporting Requirements
On Friday, March 15, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit granted an administrative stay of the SEC’s final Climate Disclosure Rules, adopted just over a week earlier. All of the challenges to the Rules filed in...more
Business groups in California challenge the constitutionality of new climate reporting laws. ...more
This 2023 U.S. Real Estate Round-Up provides key insights to commercial and residential building owners facing a flock of new state environmental, social, and governance ("ESG") laws proposed or taken effect in 2023,...more
The Maryland Department of the Environment ("MDE") will publish proposed rules limiting greenhouse gas ("GHG") emissions from covered buildings and requiring covered building owners to submit detailed energy performance...more
12/18/2023
/ Benchmarking ,
BEPS ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Change ,
Data Collection ,
ENERGY STAR Program ,
Environmental Policies ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Net Zero ,
Property Owners ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment
In Short -
The Background: As voluntary carbon credits ("VCCs") have grown in popularity, questions about their integrity and quality have arisen for investors and among regulators and lawmakers. For this reason, many have...more
12/14/2023
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Carbon Pricing ,
CFTC ,
Derivatives ,
Designated Contract Markets (DCMs) ,
Energy Market ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Markets ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Investment ,
Proposed Guidance ,
Risk Management ,
SEFs
Companies within the scope of the Directive (EU) 2022/2464 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 December 2022 amending Regulation (EU) No 537/2014, Directive 2004/109/EC, Directive 2006/43/EC and Directive...more
In Short -
The Situation: The California legislature passed landmark climate bills that surpass emissions disclosure requirements of any other existing state law. The bills are branded as the nation's first comprehensive...more
9/28/2023
/ California ,
CARB ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Doing Business ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Sustainability
The EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (“CSRD”) requires the most detailed and onerous ESG reporting and disclosures anywhere in the world. All told, it is estimated that more than 50,000 companies, including...more
9/21/2023
/ Air Pollution ,
Biodiversity ,
Climate Change ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Due Diligence ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Parent Corporation ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Proposed Rules ,
Sustainability ,
Water