Author: Jon Dunn
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California passes bill requiring large companies to disclose historical ties to slavery
On Sept. 30, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed Assembly Bill 2599, the Truth in Disclosure Act, which requires certain large companies doing business in California to disclose historical ties to chattel slavery. The law applies to companies with more than $100 million in annual worldwide sales that existed, or had a predecessor company that…
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Supreme Court hears climate liability case
The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Oct. 5 in Suncor Energy v. Boulder County, a case concerning whether federal law prevents state and local governments from using state law to seek damages from oil companies for the effects of global greenhouse gas emissions. According to the question presented, the justices are also considering…
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21 states sue EPA over power plant emissions rule rollback
On Oct. 1, a coalition of 21 states and the District of Columbia sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over its repeal of major greenhouse gas emissions requirements for fossil fuel-fired power plants. The coalition filed the lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. New York Attorney General Letitia James…
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A look at right-to-compute laws and the data center debate
Voters in eight states will decide on 38 local data center-related ballot measures in 2026, including 20 in Ohio. The measures span 35 jurisdictions and address issues ranging from zoning and project approvals to moratoriums and prohibitions on data-center development. The emerging debate over data centers also includes discussions over what are sometimes called right-to-compute…
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EPA repeals power plant carbon standards
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Sept. 14 repealed most Biden-era carbon emissions standards for coal- and gas-fired power plants and proposed eliminating remaining federal greenhouse gas requirements for the power sector. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the actions during a meeting of G20 energy ministers in Houston. The Biden-era standards required certain coal-fired power…
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ISS sues to block Oklahoma proxy advisor law
Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), a proxy advisory firm that provides voting recommendations to institutional investors, sued to block an Oklahoma law requiring proxy advisors to provide additional financial analysis when recommending votes against company management. ISS filed the lawsuit against Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond (R) over HB 4429, which Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) signed…
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Federal judge blocks New York climate superfund law
Chief Judge Brenda Sannes of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York blocked New York's Climate Change Superfund Act on Aug. 31, ruling that federal law preempts the state's effort to require fossil fuel companies to help pay for climate-related infrastructure and adaptation costs. New York enacted the law in 2024…
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California loosens first-year climate reporting requirements
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) released new guidance on Sept. 2 giving companies additional flexibility as they prepare for the state's first greenhouse gas emissions reporting deadline on Nov. 10. California's SB 253 requires companies with more than $1 billion in annual revenue that do business in the state to report their Scope 1…
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16 Republican attorneys general question Big Four climate commitments
On Aug. 24, a coalition of 16 Republican state attorneys general sent letters to Deloitte, Ernst & Young (EY), KPMG, and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) — collectively known as the Big Four accounting firms — raising concerns that the firms' climate commitments may conflict with professional accounting standards and state consumer protection laws. The attorneys general focused…
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SEC moves to eliminate shareholder proposal rule, shift power to states
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) submitted a proposed rule for interagency review on Aug. 28 that would rescind Rule 14a-8, the federal regulation requiring public companies to include qualifying shareholder proposals in their annual proxy statements. The proposal would also amend Rule 14a-4, which governs proxy solicitation materials. Under the current rule, shareholders who…