Author: Jon Dunn

  • European Commission unveils $711 billion clean energy investment plan

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    The European Commission released AccelerateEU on April 21, 2026, a policy package designed to accelerate the European Union's shift to clean energy while providing relief to households and industry facing volatile fossil fuel markets. The Commission estimates the plan requires €660 billion ($775 billion) in annual investment through 2030 to meet energy transition goals. Commission…

  • ESG shareholder proposals drop 47% in 2026 proxy season

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    According to As You Sow, a shareholder advocacy nonprofit, in its 2026 Proxy Preview report, shareholders filed 184 ESG proposals at U.S. shareholder meetings as of March 17, 2026. That is down 47% from 355 proposals filed at the same point in 2025.  Shareholders use proxy proposals to ask companies to adopt specific policies or…

  • Oklahoma Supreme Court strikes down fossil fuel divestment law

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    On April 7, 2026, the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that the Oklahoma Energy Discrimination Elimination Act of 2022 is unconstitutional when applied to the Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS). The court also issued a permanent injunction preventing state Treasurer Todd Russ (R) from enforcing the law against OPERS. The ruling upheld a 2024 Oklahoma…

  • Trump order bars DEI practices in federal contracts

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    On March 26, 2026, President Donald Trump (R) signed an executive order (EO) that orders federal agencies to add a new clause to federal contracts barring contractors and subcontractors from engaging in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) activities. The order establishes penalties including contract termination and potential exclusion from future federal work. The order, titled…

  • Advocacy groups sue SEC over proxy policy shift

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    On March 19, 2026, two investor advocacy groups filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia seeking to vacate a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) policy that changed how the agency handles shareholder proposals. The lawsuit challenges what the groups called the SEC’s November 2025 No-Objection Policy, which replaced the agency’s…

  • SEC chairman cites shutdown for shareholder proposal review change

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    On March 9, 2026, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Paul Atkins said that the 2025 federal government shutdown led the SEC to suspend reviews of shareholder proposals due to staffing constraints. Following the shutdown, the SEC said it would stop responding to most no-action requests during the 2025–26 proxy season. The SEC's Rule 14a-8…

  • Net Zero Asset Managers relaunches with fewer U.S. firms

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    On Feb. 25, the Net Zero Asset Managers (NZAM) initiative announced its relaunch with 253 signatories after suspending operations for a year. The relaunched coalition includes a revised membership commitment that no longer contains explicit references to aligning portfolios with a goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2050. The new pledge instead allows firms…

  • SEC reviews ESG disclosure rule

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    On Feb. 11, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Paul Atkins said in testimony before the U.S. House Financial Services Committee that the agency is reviewing regulations adopted during the Biden administration to determine whether those rules should be revised or rescinded. Atkins identified the 2023 amendments to the Investment Company Names rule (Names rule)…