The 'Taskforce on Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets' (the "Taskforce") is a private sector initiative working to scale an effective and efficient voluntary carbon credit market to help meet the goals of the Paris...more
7/30/2021
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Emissions Trading System ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Market Based Approach ,
Paris Agreement ,
Popular ,
Public Consultations ,
Sustainability
To meet project goals, proponents must understand rules related to the environment, species and habitats, and visual and noise impacts - The US offshore wind industry has gained momentum in recent years, and it is poised for...more
Changing regulatory, project finance and transmission dynamics are fueling rapid growth in US offshore wind -
Foreword -
Europe is the leader in offshore wind, with nearly 25 GWs of installed capacity in 2020. Asia...more
Over April 22nd and 23rd, the Biden administration hosted 40 world leaders in a climate summit coinciding with Earth Day. The leaders announced a variety of pledges and ambitions relating to curbing greenhouse gas emissions...more
4/28/2021
/ Air Pollution ,
Biden Administration ,
Clean Air Act ,
Climate Change ,
Earth Day ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Oil & Gas ,
Paris Agreement ,
Regulatory Agenda
While ESG issues have been a "hot topic" for several years, in recent weeks, the SEC has significantly increased its focus on the topic, paying particular attention to climate:
- Corp Fin to Focus on Climate Disclosure: On...more
The 'Taskforce on Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets' (the "Taskforce") is a private sector initiative working to scale an effective and efficient voluntary carbon credit market to help meet the goals of the Paris...more
This week, as part of a series of significant executive actions, President Biden issued an executive order directing the United States Department of Interior (DOI) to pause new oil and natural gas leasing on federal public...more
1/29/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Bureau of Land Management ,
Climate Change ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Land ,
Federal Leasing Regulations ,
Fossil Fuel ,
Natural Gas ,
Oil & Gas ,
Secretary of the Interior ,
Tribal Lands
This is Part I of a two-part memorandum series outlining key considerations from White & Case’s Public Company Advisory Group for US public companies during the 2021 annual reporting and proxy season.
Part I of this memo...more
The Poseidon Principles Association, a group of major marine shipping banks, released its first Annual Disclosure Report in December 2020. This report discloses the "climate alignment score" of fifteen banks' ship finance...more
Three states and the District of Columbia reached agreement on December 21 to combat climate change by reducing carbon dioxide emissions from the transportation sector via a cap-and-invest system.
Massachusetts, Rhode...more
The 'Taskforce on Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets' (the "Taskforce") published a blueprint for a voluntary greenhouse gas or carbon market in its 10 November 2020 Consultation Document. The Taskforce's Consultation Document...more
11/13/2020
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Emissions Trading System ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Know Your Customers ,
Market Based Approach ,
Offsets ,
Paris Agreement ,
Sustainability
The Equator Principles have been one of the principal frameworks for managing sustainability and ESG risk in projects by financial institutions since 2003. The latest update – known as EP4 – renews the focus on human rights...more
9/26/2020
/ Acquisitions ,
Climate Change ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EPFIs ,
Equator Principles ,
Financial Institutions ,
Human Rights ,
OECD ,
Popular ,
Refinancing ,
Sustainable Finance
These are unprecedented times, and companies are facing important issues as they navigate the current economic, political, and social climate. The COVID-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter movement have put the spotlight on...more
8/17/2020
/ Annual Meeting ,
Black Lives Matter ,
Board of Directors ,
Business Continuity Plans ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Culture ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Diversity ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Rights ,
Employee Training ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Ethical Standards ,
Filing Requirements ,
Fortune 100 ,
Green Finance ,
Human Capital ,
Popular ,
Proxy Statements ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Renewable Energy ,
Risk Management ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Socially Responsible Investments ,
Surveys ,
Sustainability ,
Workplace Safety
Strong ESG credentials and long-term plans to improve their relationship with society and the environment are increasingly important to ensure companies’ access to capital.
Environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters...more
8/7/2020
/ Acquisitions ,
Black Lives Matter ,
BlackRock ,
Capital Raising ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Rights ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Financial Crisis ,
Global Dealmaking ,
Human Rights ,
Investors ,
Mergers ,
Middle East ,
Multinationals ,
Popular ,
Public Disclosure ,
Renewable Energy ,
SASB ,
Shareholder Proposals ,
Shareholders ,
Workplace Safety
The Supreme Court ruled on April 23, 2020 that federal law can require a permit for pollutant discharges that travel through groundwater to surface water. The Court’s ruling establishes a new standard by which a Clean Water...more
4/29/2020
/ Appeals ,
Clean Water Act ,
Direct Discharge ,
Discharge of Pollutants ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Violations ,
Functional Equivalent ,
Groundwater ,
Hawaii Wildlife Fund v County of Maui ,
Navigable Waters ,
NPDES ,
Permits ,
Point Sources ,
Remand ,
SCOTUS ,
Vacated ,
Waters of the United States
Dealmakers are placing more emphasis on sustainability in the context of their investment practices. This is occurring despite a lack of US federal regulation on companies' sustainability reporting. ...more
2/14/2020
/ Acquisitions ,
Buyers ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Global Dealmaking ,
Investment Funds ,
Mergers ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Sellers ,
Sustainability
The Trump administration proposed rules intended to speed up approval of major projects subject to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), such as pipelines, power facilities, mines, highways, and other public...more
1/18/2020
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Climate Change ,
Coal Mines ,
Environmental Assessments ,
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) ,
Federal Land ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Highways ,
Land-Use Permits ,
NEPA ,
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) ,
Notice Requirements ,
Pipelines ,
Power Infrastructure ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
Rescission ,
Rollbacks ,
Trump Administration
In light of the heightened focus on environmental and social (“E&S”) disclosure, White & Case’s Public Company Advisory Group conducted a survey of E&S website disclosures of 84 small- and mid-cap US public reporting...more
12/5/2019
/ Capitalization ,
Common Reporting Standard (CRS) ,
Corporate Governance ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Health and Safety ,
Human Rights ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Life Sciences ,
Public Disclosure ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Retailers ,
Services ,
Surveys ,
Sustainability ,
Technology Sector ,
Websites
In New York Supreme Court, Exxon was on trial for allegedly misleading investors about the business costs of climate change. The central allegation was that Exxon fraudulently used two distinct sets of metrics to calculate...more
11/11/2019
/ Climate Change ,
Common Law Claims ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Dismissal With Prejudice ,
Evidentiary Standards ,
Exxon Mobil ,
Investment Fraud ,
Popular ,
Proxy Statements ,
Reputational Injury ,
Restitution ,
Risk Assessment ,
Risk Management ,
Securities Fraud ,
Shareholder Litigation ,
State Attorneys General
In a move that will have a significant impact on Pennsylvania's power producers, Governor Tom Wolf signed an executive order on October 3rd directing the state's Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) to create...more
10/10/2019
/ Cap-and-Trade ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Clean Energy ,
Climate Change ,
Coal ,
Coal Industry ,
Department of Environmental Protection ,
Executive Orders ,
Fossil Fuel ,
Governor Wolf ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Natural Gas ,
Power Plants ,
RGGI ,
State and Local Government ,
Tom Wolf
The Equator Principles Association (EPA) has released the much-awaited draft text of Equator Principles 4 (EP4). Further consultation of the draft text will be coordinated by the EPA in July and August, and it is anticipated...more
6/27/2019
/ Climate Change ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
EPFIs ,
Equator Principles ,
Financial Institutions ,
Human Rights ,
International Finance ,
Land Developers ,
Lenders ,
OECD ,
Paris Agreement ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Public Consultations ,
Public Projects ,
Risk Assessment
As the offshore wind industry begins to take off, environmental impacts remain key concerns -
The development of offshore wind projects in the US has been hindered by environmental opposition to their visual effects,...more
The US District Court for the District of Columbia has blocked the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from issuing new oil and gas drilling permits on approximately 300,000 acres of federal land in Wyoming until it adequately...more
4/2/2019
/ Bureau of Land Management ,
Climate Change ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Assessments ,
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) ,
Environmental Violations ,
Federal Land ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Land Developers ,
Land-Use Permits ,
Mineral Leases ,
NEPA ,
Oil & Gas ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Trial Court Orders ,
Trump Administration ,
Well Drilling