South Carolina Proposes Anti-ESG Bill Aimed at Backing Farmers

  • The state joins cascade of efforts against ESG principles
  • South Carolina bill is now under review by the state’s senate

Workers harvest cotton at farm in Lee County, South Carolina.

Photographer: Micah Green/Bloomberg
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Republican lawmakers in South Carolina are now targeting the financial-service industry’s agriculture lending practices, marking the latest pressure point in the party’s campaign against ESG.

Representative Patrick Haddon of Greenville, South Carolina, is leading a proposal that would prevent financial firms from denying services to agricultural producers for environment, social and governance-related reasons. Those include factors such as limiting greenhouse gas emissions, as well as using fossil fuel-derived fertilizers and oil-powered machinery.