SEC’s Ambitious Climate Agenda Stalls as US Elections Raise Stakes in New Year

  • Key ESG rules still unfinished as political opposition mounts
  • Environmental activists worry window will close for SEC action

Gary Gensler during a meeting at the SEC headquarters in Washington, DC, on Dec, 13.

Photographer: Samuel Corum/Bloomberg
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The Securities and Exchange Commission’s failure to complete an ambitious climate-related agenda in 2023 is making environmental activists nervous.

Less than a year before a US presidential election that could scuttle the regulator’s environmental, social and governance efforts, the SEC has yet to finish a mandate for public companies to disclose their environmental footprints. In addition, the agency’s specialized ESG enforcement task force has brought few climate cases since it was created in 2021.