On October 14, 2025, the California Air Resources Board ("CARB") revealed that it will not issue draft regulations for SB 253 (the Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act) and SB 261 (the Climate-related Financial Risk Act)...more
Introduction -
On September 12, 2025, the United States Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") proposed to effectively put an end to the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program ("GHGRP"), which currently requires certain...more
On September 2, 2025, the California Air Resources Board ("CARB") released draft guidance on SB 261 (the Climate-related Financial Risk Act) called a "Draft Checklist" that entities can use in preparing their climate-related...more
On August 21, 2025, the California Air Resources Board (“CARB”) held a public workshop providing updates on SB 253 (the Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act) and SB 261 (the Climate-related Financial Risk Act)....more
On July 23, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order (the "EO") that directs federal agencies to streamline permitting reviews, provide financial support, and utilize federal land for the expeditious development of...more
On May 29, 2025, the California Air Resources Board ("CARB") affirmed the statutory deadlines for disclosures under SB 253 (the Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act) and SB 261 (the Climate-related Financial Risk Act)....more
On May 14, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it plans to retain the current drinking water standards for two per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), i.e., perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)...more
On January 20, 2025, the Trump Administration issued a Memorandum (the Memorandum) that orders a moratorium on new or renewed federal actions for onshore and offshore wind projects, pending federal review, and withdraws new...more
Citing potential economic damage and unfair burdens, President Trump signed an Executive Order that starts the process of withdrawing the United States from the Paris Agreement.
The Paris Agreement is an international...more
1/22/2025
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Clean Energy ,
Climate Change ,
Environmental Policies ,
Executive Orders ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Paris Agreement ,
Trump Administration ,
UNFCCC ,
United Nations ,
Withdrawal
With the inauguration of US President Trump on January 20, 2025, public companies await the impact of the new administration on the US Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). President Trump's pick for the next SEC Chair,...more
1/20/2025
/ Annual Reports ,
Clawbacks ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Financial Reporting ,
Foreign Issuers ,
Foreign Private Issuers ,
Form 20-F ,
Insider Trading ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Trump Administration
Each year in our Annual Memo, White & Case's Public Company Advisory Group provides practical insights on preparing Annual Reports on Form 10-Ks, Annual Meeting Proxy Statements and, for FPIs, the Annual Report on Form 20-F....more
Purchasing carbon credits was once seen as a way for companies to sidestep genuine emissions reduction in their decarbonisation efforts. But that is changing as these products, and the way they are used, face growing...more
An accelerating focus on doing business responsibly will force changes to wide-ranging aspects of business operations and strategy -
Societal expectations of businesses have shifted fundamentally over the past five years....more
9/27/2024
/ Business Operations ,
Business Strategies ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Litigation Strategies ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
SFDR ,
Sustainable Finance
On April 19, 2024, the US Environmental Protection Agency (“US EPA”) announced its final rule designating two per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”), namely perfluorooctanoic acid (“PFOA”) and perfluorooctanesulfonic...more
5/16/2024
/ CERCLA ,
Contamination ,
Drinking Water ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Hazardous Substances ,
New Rules ,
PFAS ,
Public Health ,
RCRA ,
Toxic Chemicals
EPA requires existing coal-fired power plants that plan to operate beyond 2039 and large new gas-fired power plants to achieve 90% reductions in GHG emissions by 2032....more
On April 4, 2024, less than one month after their adoption, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") has chosen to stay its newly adopted climate disclosure rules, pending judicial review (the "Final Rules"). The...more
The new emission limits apply to new passenger cars, light trucks and large pickups and vans, and set increasingly stringent fleet-wide emission limits covering carbon dioxide and other pollutants for Model Years 2027-2032....more
On March 6, 2024, in a 3 to 2 vote of the Commissioners, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") adopted rules that will require public companies to disclose extensive climate change-related information in their...more
Each year in our Annual Memo series, White & Case's Public Company Advisory Group provides practical insights on preparing Annual Reports on Form 10-Ks, Annual Meeting Proxy Statements and, for FPIs, the Annual Report on Form...more
3/18/2024
/ Annual Reports ,
Board of Directors ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Executive Compensation ,
Form 10-K ,
New Rules ,
Proxy Season ,
Proxy Statements ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation
On January 26, 2024, the Biden Administration announced a temporary pause on all pending applications seeking authorization under Section 3 of the Natural Gas Act to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) to non-Free Trade...more
With the 2023 annual report season upon us, it is time for companies to take stock of risk factors for 10-Ks and 20-Fs, and consider whether recent economic, political, technological, and regulatory developments have had (or...more
12/22/2023
/ Annual Reports ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Climate Change ,
Cybersecurity ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Geopolitical Risks ,
Internal Controls ,
Popular ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Risk Factors ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
The Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures ("TNFD") released its final framework (the "TNFD Framework") on September 18. The TNFD Framework encourages organisations to integrate nature into decision-making and...more
11/9/2023
/ Biodiversity ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Financing ,
Framework Agreement ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainability
The California State Senate and State Assembly recently approved two bills, Senate Bill 253 and Senate Bill 261, that could require thousands of companies doing business in California to disclose greenhouse gas ("GHG")...more
9/27/2023
/ California ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Energy Sector ,
General Assembly ,
Governor Newsom ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Legislative Agendas ,
New Legislation ,
Popular ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Reporting Requirements ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures
The proposed new greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions control requirements would apply to existing and new power plants, with an emphasis on more efficient generating practices, including carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) and...more
Buyers are scrutinizing everything from an acquisition target’s projected greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to ways in which a deal may impact their own climate mitigation strategies. In this regard, reliable and verifiable...more