The ruling allows implementation of the laws while First Amendment litigation proceeds on the merits....more
The SEC has stated that a ruling would help it determine the relevance of future rulemaking.
On July 23, 2025 the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC or Commission) submitted a status report ordered by the Eighth...more
A preliminary injunction motion is set for May, the judge issued a scheduling order, and CARB announced a public workshop to kick off a rulemaking to implement the laws....more
5/22/2025
/ California ,
Climate Change ,
Commercial Litigation ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Litigation ,
Government Agencies ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Greenwashing ,
Litigation Strategies ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Rulemaking Process
On March 26, 2025, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) announced proposed regulations that would establish a mandatory greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting program for fuel suppliers, waste haulers...more
Paramount to the ruling in the upcoming May 5, 2025, hearing is the likelihood that strict scrutiny will apply to the plaintiffs’ First Amendment claims against SB 253 and SB 261....more
3/10/2025
/ California ,
CARB ,
Chamber of Commerce ,
Climate Change ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Policies ,
First Amendment ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Strict Scrutiny Standard
Supremacy Clause and Dormant Commerce Clause claims against SB 253 and SB 261 were dismissed, while claims under the First Amendment proceed to discovery....more
2/27/2025
/ California ,
California Air Resources Board ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Change ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Discovery ,
Dormant Commerce Clause ,
Environmental Policies ,
First Amendment ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Supremacy Clause
Through the course of 2024, the development of the ESG and sustainability landscape was dynamic. We anticipate that this dynamism will intensify in 2025, given the implementation and potential amendment of ESG-related...more
CARB will not penalize reporting entities for incomplete Scope 1 and 2 emissions disclosures under SB 253, irritating lawmakers and raising the specter of oversight hearings....more
1/2/2025
/ CARB ,
Climate Change ,
Comment Period ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Financial Reporting ,
Governor Newsom ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Risk Assessment ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Time Extensions
In-scope entities should keep preparing for compliance with Senate Bills 253 and 261 as the lawsuit proceeds past an initial summary judgment motion....more
11/19/2024
/ CARB ,
Chamber of Commerce ,
Clean Air Act ,
Climate Change ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Discovery ,
First Amendment ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Motion for Judgment ,
Pending Litigation ,
Risk Assessment ,
Supremacy Clause ,
Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)
In the December 2023 edition of Regulatory Updates in Asia ESG we provided an update on how jurisdictions across Asia are responding to the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) standards. Several regulators in...more
9/3/2024
/ Asia ,
Climate Change ,
Consultation ,
COP ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Hong Kong ,
IFRS ,
International Regulatory Standards ,
International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) ,
IOSCO ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices
Artificial intelligence (AI) has become an indispensable tool, but with the rapid advancement in the technology has come a rise in electricity demand, drawing regulatory attention on the natural resources that AI requires....more
7/22/2024
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Biden Administration ,
Climate Change ,
Electricity ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Executive Orders ,
Infrastructure ,
NIST ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Risk Management
Private capital providers, investors, asset managers, and financial institutions will likely continue to face a fragmented regulatory landscape on ESG matters.
Various US states have taken and continue to take action on...more
6/24/2024
/ Asset Management ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Investors ,
New Legislation ,
Private Equity ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices
With regulators keeping close watch, the results underscore the need for ongoing climate risk management investment and adaptation within the financial sector.
On May 9, 2024, the Board of Governors of the Federal...more
The Eighth Circuit is poised to determine the fate of the SEC’s final climate regulation, potentially by the end of the year.
On March 21, 2024, the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit was selected as the court that...more
4/9/2024
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Case Consolidation ,
Chevron Deference ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Final Rules ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Rules of Civil Procedure ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Statutory Interpretation ,
Sustainable Business Practices
The long-awaited rules, already at the center of political debate and litigation, represent another global regulatory effort to integrate climate considerations into financial reporting.
On March 6, 2024, nearly two years...more
The court’s decision is the latest development in the litigation over the SEC’s final rules, which have faced numerous legal challenges since their adoption.
On March 15, 2024, the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit...more
3/21/2024
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Annual Reports ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Popular ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation
On March 6, 2024, in a 3-2 vote, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted final rules requiring registrants to disclose certain climate-related information in registration statements and annual reports. ...more
3/7/2024
/ Annual Reports ,
Climate Change ,
Compliance ,
Compliance Dates ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Final Rules ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Registration Statement ,
Regulation S-K ,
Regulation S-X ,
Risk Management ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)
Amid new regulations, increased enforcement and litigation, and higher stakeholder scrutiny, companies will need to adopt an integrated and nuanced approach to ESG.
In some ways, 2023 was a challenging year for ESG. This...more
1/17/2024
/ Advertising ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Business Strategies ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Liability ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Greenwashing ,
Investors ,
Popular ,
Privately Held Corporations ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Shareholder Activism ,
Strategic Planning ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainable Business Practices ,
Trade Policy ,
Transparency
The first global stocktake, Article 6, carbon markets, new finance pledges, and the loss and damage fund formed the major developments at this year’s conference.
Between November 30 and December 12, 2023, Dubai hosted the...more
12/28/2023
/ Climate Change ,
COP ,
Dubai ,
Energy Market ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Oil & Gas ,
Paris Agreement ,
Renewable Energy ,
UNFCCC ,
United Nations
Guidance for the largest US financial institutions is intended to promote climate risk management consistent with general safety and soundness practices.
On October 30, 2023, the three US federal bank regulatory agencies...more
11/8/2023
/ Banking Sector ,
Biden Administration ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Executive Orders ,
FDIC ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
New Guidance ,
OCC ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Risk Assessment ,
Risk Management ,
Strategic Planning
Developments span the climate disclosure landscape, risk factor disclosure, and diversity-related efforts.
In advance of the annual shareholder proposal and annual reporting preparation season, we believe that a number of...more
Governor Newsom has committed to signing into law two bills that would require certain companies that do business in California to disclose their GHG emissions and climate-related financial risks.
In January 2023,...more
On September 18, 2023, the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) published recommendations for organizations’ assessment, management, and disclosure of nature-related issues (the Recommendations). These...more
On June 26, 2023, the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) released its first two standards for sustainability disclosures, which are designed to facilitate the disclosure of sustainability-related information...more
A recent letter from 21 state Attorneys General to various asset managers demonstrates a focus on using antitrust and unfair competition laws to oppose ESG efforts.
Key Points:
..ESG investing initiatives are not...more