Author: James McAllister

  • Missouri Democrats continue pushback against rule opposing ESG

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    Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft (R) published a rule last July restricting the use of ESG in public investment strategies. The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) filed a lawsuit in August claiming that the regulation conflicted with federal law. Judge Stephen R. Bough of the U.S. District Court for the Western District…

  • State agriculture commissioners join ESG pushback

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    Agriculture commissioners from 12 states sent a letter on January 29 to the heads of six banks, arguing that ESG efforts to promote net-zero carbon policies would hurt farmers and inflate consumer food prices. Ballotpedia tracks support for and opposition to the environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) investing movement. To learn more about arguments…

  • State attorneys general continue pushback against federal ESG labor rule

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    Attorneys general from 26 states are opposing the implementation of the U.S. Department of Labor’s rule permitting ESG considerations in Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)-governed pension plans in court. The states filed an appeal late last week seeking to reverse the dismissal of their case. Ballotpedia tracks support for and opposition to the environmental,…

  • Recapping the top five stories of the pro-ESG movement in 2023

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    Ballotpedia’s Economy & Society newsletter on Jan. 16 recapped the following top five noteworthy developments supporting ESG from 2023: To read the full recap, click here. To read our breakdown of the biggest developments opposing ESG in 2023 click here. Ballotpedia tracks support for and opposition to the environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) investing…

  • Recapping the top five stories of the ESG pushback in 2023

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    Ballotpedia’s Economy & Society newsletter on Jan. 9 recapped the following top five noteworthy developments opposing ESG from 2023: To read the full recap, click here. Stay tuned for our breakdown of the biggest developments supporting ESG efforts in the Jan. 16 edition. Click here to subscribe to the newsletter. Ballotpedia tracks support for and…

  • House committee issues more subpoenas related to ESG practices

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    The House Judiciary Committee issued more subpoenas last week in its ongoing investigation into whether some finance companies may have violated antitrust laws through their ESG investing practices. The subpoenas include requests for information from the heads of BlackRock and State Street, specifically. Ballotpedia tracks support for and opposition to the environmental, social, and corporate…

  • New York Supreme Court could hear case opposing ESG investment by NYC pension plans

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    Four New York City employees, with the help of nonprofit legal organization Americans for Fair Treatment, filed a lawsuit in May opposing New York City pension plans’ environmental investment considerations. The court, according to E&E News, could be the first to hear a legal claim against investment managers who consider ESG. Ballotpedia tracks support for…

  • Pensioner sues Oklahoma over ESG restrictions

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    Former Oklahoma state employee Don Keenan is suing the state, alleging that the Oklahoma law prohibiting state contracts with financial firms that boycott oil, gas, and other types of companies violates the U.S. Constitution and federal law. Keenan says he thinks oil and gas are important economically but argues the law, in his view, imposes…

  • U.S. weekly unemployment insurance claims rise to 218,000

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    New applications for U.S. unemployment insurance benefits rose 7,000 for the week ending Nov. 25 to a seasonally adjusted 218,000. The previous week’s figure was revised up by 2,000 to 211,000. The four-week moving average as of Nov. 11 fell 500 from the previous week’s revised average to 220,000. The number of continuing unemployment insurance…