As 2022 comes to a close, mandatory Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) reporting in the United States remains the subject of much debate and political scrutiny. The European Union (EU) and other jurisdictions are moving...more
On December 23, President Biden signed the long-debated Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), after it passed through both chambers of Congress with strong bipartisan support. This legislation has the potential to...more
On December 23, President Biden signed the long-debated Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), after it passed through both chambers of Congress with strong bipartisan support. This legislation has the potential to...more
The long-debated Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) has now passed both chambers of Congress with strong bipartisan support, and President Biden is expected to sign the UFLPA into law on or before December 30, 2021....more
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) recently published its revised Universal Standards, which go into effect on January 1, 2023. The revision will require all companies reporting in accordance with GRI standards to report...more
On June 17, the U.S. Supreme Court held that U.S. corporations are not liable for alleged abuses against non-U.S. citizens in foreign countries merely because general operational decisions made in the United States...more
On March 15th, the SEC issued a detailed request for public comments on potential changes to climate risk reporting, and Environmental, Social, and Governance (“ESG”) disclosures more generally. Comments must be submitted by...more
On January 13, 2021, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a withhold release order (WRO), effective immediately, to detain cotton and tomato products from China’s...more
On July 20, 2020, Senator Josh Hawely (R-MO) introduced the Slave-Free Business Certification Act of 2020 (Act), which would require certain large companies to investigate and report on forced labor within their supply...more
On November 26, a federal district court judge in Massachusetts held that releases of pollutants reaching surface waters through groundwater do not require permits under the Clean Water Act (CWA), “irrespective of any...more
Shortly after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s February 2019 release of its PFAS Action Plan, many states are following suit with draft legislation and other actions addressing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances...more
A flurry of activity on conflict minerals in recent months has added new uncertainty to the long-simmering debate over the future of U.S. conflict minerals reporting requirements. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission...more
On March 19, 2017, the latest iterations of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ nationwide permits (NWPs) will take effect. As set forth in the Corps’ final rule announcing these NWPs, the 2017 package contains 52 permits,...more
Comments are due July 21, 2016 on a concept release published on April 22, 2016 by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC” or the “Commission”) on potential revisions to certain business and financial disclosure...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) has released the text of a draft proposed rule that seeks to amend the new source performance standards (“NSPS”) addressing methane and volatile organic compounds (“VOC”) from...more
Maryland’s annual legislative session ended on April 13, 2015, and with the close of the session came new legislation that affects environmental regulation in Maryland....more