Key topics in Akin’s July 2024 Sustainability/ESG Policy and Regulatory Update include: Updated Assessment of SFDR by EU Regulators: The European Supervisory Authorities have proposed changes to the Sustainable Finance...more
8/2/2024
/ Corporate Governance ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Products ,
Greenwashing ,
NRDC ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
SFDR ,
Sustainability ,
UK
Good morning! This is Akin’s newsletter on climate change policy and regulatory developments, providing information on major climate policy headlines from the past week and forthcoming climate-related events and hearings...more
6/24/2024
/ China ,
Clean Energy ,
Climate Change ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Economic Sanctions ,
EU ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Hydrogen Power ,
Nuclear Power ,
Oil & Gas ,
Russia ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Tax Credits
Good afternoon! This is Akin’s newsletter on climate change policy and regulatory developments, providing information on major climate policy headlines from the past week and forthcoming climate-related events and hearings...more
Key Points - On Wednesday, March 6, 2024, the SEC in a 3-2 vote adopted “The Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors” (Final Rule). The Final Rule will require public companies to...more
3/12/2024
/ Annual Reports ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Statements ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Risk Management ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Shareholders ,
Transparency
Good morning! This is Akin’s newsletter on climate change policy and regulatory developments, providing information on major climate policy headlines from the past week and forthcoming climate-related events and hearings...more
Akin’s newsletter on environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) policy and regulatory developments, provides a timely digest of ESG topics, news items and other relevant information regarding significant ESG policy...more
3/7/2024
/ Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Final Rules ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Policy Updates ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Sustainability ,
UNFCCC
Good morning! This is Akin’s newsletter on climate change policy and regulatory developments, providing information on major climate policy headlines from the past two weeks and forthcoming climate-related events and...more
3/4/2024
/ Air Pollution ,
Biden Administration ,
Boycotts ,
Climate Change ,
Cross-State Air Pollution ,
Electric Vehicles ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Hydrogen Power ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Good afternoon! This is Akin’s newsletter on climate change policy and regulatory developments, providing information on major climate policy headlines from the past week and forthcoming climate-related events and...more
Good afternoon! This is Akin’s newsletter on climate change policy and regulatory developments, providing information on major climate policy headlines from the past week and forthcoming climate-related events and hearings...more
On May 15, 2023, the Eastern District of California ruled that California Assembly Bill No. 979 (“AB 979”) violates the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution’s Fourteenth Amendment and 42 U.S.C. § 1981. As enacted,...more
On May 15, 2023, a district court judge sitting in the Eastern District of California ruled that California Assembly Bill No. 979 violates the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution’s Fourteenth Amendment and 42...more
In light of anticipated lawsuits, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler is reportedly considering rolling back the commission’s proposed climate-risk disclosure rule. Meanwhile, House Republicans...more
[co-authors: Kerry Mackenzie and Leila Fleming]
The Treasury Department’s Federal Insurance Office issues a request for public comments regarding climate-related financial risk. Meanwhile, the Securities Exchange...more
Legislation to “prevent corporate greenwashing” by requiring major companies doing business in California to publicly disclose their scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions has cleared two critical committees....more
As corporations increasingly make public commitments to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, allegations of “greenwashing” have been elevated to the global stage. Consumers, investors and government bodies alike are seeking...more
Two recent rulings by California state court judges have struck-down California statutes that were intended to foster diversity at California-based public companies. In the first case, Crest v. Padilla, No. 20-STCV-37513...more
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) proposed amendments on climate-related disclosures would require public companies, or “registrants,” to provide detailed climate-related information in their registration...more
On March 30, 2022, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Division of Examinations (the “Division”) released its 2022 examination priorities. The Division announced an enhanced focus on five “significant areas”:...more
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Division of Examinations (the “Division”), on March 30, 2022, released its 2022 examination priorities (the “Division’s 2022 priorities”), highlighting the “annual...more
Key Points -
On Monday, March 21, 2022, the SEC in a 3-1 vote proposed amendments to require public companies to provide certain climate-related information in their registration statements and annual reports. The...more
With 2022 underway, the Biden-Harris administration is continuing to implement its “whole-of-government” response to climate change. In 2021, the administration focused on building public-private partnerships on clean energy,...more
2/8/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Clean Power Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
NHTSA ,
Oil & Gas ,
Proxy Season ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
2021: ESG On Center Stage -
As we approach the end of a watershed year, we are struck by the rapid evolution and intensification of all things ESG (environmental, social and governance). Virtually every segment of the...more
1/7/2022
/ Business Strategies ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Sustainability ,
UNFCCC
Last week, the Division of Corporation Finance (Corp Fin) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) published an illustrative letter that provides samples of comments, which the SEC may issue to companies regarding...more
In a speech last week before the Principles for Responsible Investment’s “Climate and Global Financial Markets” Webinar, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler made another case for mandatory...more
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) continued to build on its climate and environmental, social and governance (ESG) agenda last week. On March 3, the SEC’s Division of Examinations announced the release of its 2021...more