Kentucky Lawmaker Goes Viral Over INCREDIBLE Speech

 

SEC’s Proposed Climate-Related Disclosure Requirements Are a Big Step in the Right Direction March 2022

  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 21, 2022 Media Contacts: Michael Neuwirth Chief Communications Officer, ASBN mneuwirth@asbnetwork.org SEC’s Proposed Climate-Related Disclosure Requirements Are a Big Step in the Right Direction  Washington, DC – The American Sustainable Business Network (ASBN) and the business organizations it represents today applauded the Securities & Exchange Commission’s (SEC’s) proposed rule that would enhance and standardize registrants’ climate-related disclosures for investors.   The enhancement and standardization of climate-related disclosures is overdue and urgently needed to help investors and American businesses compete effectively in an economy that needs to move faster than it is today towards decarbonization. Under today’s governance, businesses and investors working to decrease or eliminate their impact on the climate crisis do not have a level playing field when it comes to reporting and assessing climate-related topics and validating suitable investment choices. Investors and business owners, and consequently their impact on the climate crisis, will benefit from greater transparency and accountability proposed by the SEC.  Under the SEC’s proposal, U.S. companies would be required to have some of their carbon emissions included in regulatory filings. Scopes 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will need to be included in annual filings, such as 10-Ks. Additionally, indirect emissions will need to be included from upstream and downstream activities (scope 3), if material, or if the company has set a GHG emissions target or goal that includes scope 3 emissions, in absolute terms, not including offsets, and in terms of intensity. This type of Information about specific emissions is not standardized, if it is currently disclosed at all, and the SEC’s proposal for standardization is also helpful to improve transparency and verification.  ASBN believes all three scopes are key, particularly scope 3, because they are the biggest and broadest components of a company’s impact on climate change for most sectors of industry. “ASBN will be issuing its own comment as well as encouraging its members and network to provide detailed input on the proposal and comment directly. Disclosure will support all companies being rightfully rewarded in the marketplace that perform authentically on ESG. We look forward to requirements being highly inclusive to allow all businesses, especially SMEs, to improve transparency and accountability throughout their value chains,”   said Ali-Reza Vahabzadeh, EVP, Membership of the American Sustainable Business Network and ESG & Corporate Transparency Working Group leader.                 “Investors and businesses need and deserve as complete a picture as possible of risks and opportunities, particularly as it relates to material issues that can span generations such as climate impact,”   said Valerie Red-Horse Mohl, co-chair of ASBN and CFO of East Bay Community Foundation.   “Our climate crisis is fused with racial and gender inequity and the wealth gap and demands transparency; all people and the environment will benefit from requiring it as part of our assessments.”                "Corporate Directors owe fiduciary duties of loyalty, care, good faith, confidentiality, prudence, and disclosure to their corporate shareholders. The duty of care requires directors to inform themselves prior to making a business decision. The SEC's proposed rules to require companies to disclose climate related risks positions directors to fulfill their fiduciary duty of care as required under law given the vast amount of information that shows corporate transparency is beneficial to a corporation’s bottom line. The proposed rules are a good business decision that ASBN will advocate for on Capitol Hill and beyond,"   said Maritza T. Adonis, VP, Policy, Advocacy, and Government Affairs for ASBN.                  ASBN has been working to address serious and growing concerns about business activities which are unaccounted for, or currently escape disclosure as negative externalities, which at this point also do not affect the P&L or balance sheet of corporations. The proposed standards will also help to reduce greenwashing. Companies of all types that are advertising, marketing, drafting ESG statements, or disclosing information will be required to pay extremely close attention to the language used in all of these types of documents, or run the risk of SEC scrutiny.  Quotes from ASBN members and partner organizations:  “Climate change is more material to investors now than ever,”   said Natasha Lamb, Managing Partner at Arjuna Capital.    “Over $57 trillion in investor assets support a goal of net-zero-emissions portfolios.  In order to accomplish this goal and avoid material climate risks, transparency from portfolio companies is key.  Not only will the SEC’s climate disclosure rule benefit investors who seek to avoid climate risk, it will press companies to better manage their own risk through a new level of accountability.”                “For investment firm’s to effectively lead and finance solutions to climate change, integrity and transparency must be core to their operations and the industry. Steps toward greater transparency and accountability will ultimately benefit people, the planet and business,”   said Ron Gonen, CEO & Founder of Closed Loop Partners, a circular economy-focused investment firm and innovation center.              “Etsy is a longtime leader in climate disclosures and has been vocal in encouraging other companies to take similar steps. We view today’s SEC’s proposal as a promising step towards creating unified and organized policies and guidance for corporate climate disclosures, including Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions. Etsy has long believed investors desire consistent and reliable ESG metrics and has voluntarily included our Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions in publicly filed financial reporting for the last four years,”   said Rachel Glaser, Etsy Chief Financial Officer.              “Standardizing climate change disclosure language in clear layman terms is key not only in helping investors understand possible risks but what a company needs to do to mitigate those risks. It also allows investors to press at-risk companies for change as not addressing those risks could have a detrimental impact on performance,”   said Timothy Yee of Green Retirement, Inc.             “We, along with many other investors, applaud the SEC for formally moving forward on expanding climate disclosures.  Today’s proposed rule is a very strong step in the right direction. The depth of investor comments provided to the SEC last spring show the keen interest investors have in mandatory, standardized climate disclosures, and the need that we as investors have for this information,”   said Elizabeth Levy, Head of ESG Strategy and Portfolio Manager at Trillium Asset Management, LLC.    While we welcome this proposed rule, to provide the most utility to investors, a complete set of disclosures needs to include scope 3 emissions disclosure particularly from the most impacted industries, including fossil fuels and finance, regardless of size and whether they consider scope 3 emissions material or not.”                          ASBN will continue to advocate for stronger and more regulated corporate transparency and ESG disclosure and will be monitoring and commenting on the issues that relate to these matters.  The American Sustainable Business Network (ASBN) is a movement builder in partnership with the business and investor community. ASBN develops and advocates solutions for policymakers, business leaders, and investors that support an equitable, regenerative, and just economy that benefits all⁠ - people and planet. As a multi-issue, membership organization advocating on behalf of every business sector, size, and geography, ASBN and its association members collectively represent over 250,000 businesses across our networks. ASBN was founded through the merger of the American Sustainable Business Council and Social Venture Circle.

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Change without sacrifice is an illusion.

 

EPA Issues Emergency Orders to Four Mobile Home Parks in Thermal, Calif., to Ensure Drinking Water is Safe

Media Contact: Julia Giarmoleo, Giarmoleo.Julia@epa.gov, 213-326-2033 EPA Issues Emergency Orders to Four Mobile Home Parks in Thermal, Calif., to Ensure Drinking Water is Safe THERMAL (March. 22, 2022) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued emergency orders under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) to four mobile home park water systems, requiring the mobile home park owners to comply with federal drinking water safety requirements and to identify and correct problems with their drinking water systems that present a danger to residents. The mobile home parks -- Arellano Mobile Home Park, Castro Ranch, Gonzalez Mobile Home Park, and Sandoval Mobile Home Park -- are all located on the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians’ Reservation in California.  None of the water systems were previously registered with EPA and will now be required to comply with SDWA regulations. "These emergency orders support EPA’s larger effort in the Eastern Coachella Valley to ensure all drinking water systems comply with SDWA and provide safe drinking water,” said Martha Guzman, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “Mobile home park owners and all levels of government must protect the health of residents and comply with federal law.” Today’s announcement applies to four separate water systems, which EPA inspected and sampled in November 2021. The systems' current source of drinking water is groundwater that has naturally occurring arsenic. Arsenic is a known carcinogen and drinking high levels over many years can increase the chance of lung, bladder, and skin cancers, as well as heart disease, diabetes, and neurological damage. The regulatory Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for arsenic in drinking water is 10 parts per billion (ppb). Based on the sample results, all the systems are currently serving water that exceed the arsenic MCL: Arellano Mobile Home Park: The system serves approximately 26 residents and has arsenic levels ranging from 14 ppb to 16 ppb.  Castro Ranch: The system serves approximately 40 residents and has arsenic levels ranging from 18 ppb to 19 ppb.  Gonzalez Mobile Home Park: The system serves approximately 40 residents and has arsenic levels ranging from 28 ppb to 29 ppb. Sandoval Mobile Home Park: The water system serves approximately 37 residents and has arsenic levels ranging from 15 ppb to 17 ppb. Under the terms of EPA’s emergency orders, the owners of Arellano Mobile Home Park, Castro Ranch, Gonzalez Mobile Home Park, and Sandoval Mobile Home Park are required to: provide at least one gallon of drinking water per person per day at no cost for every individual served by the system; submit and implement an EPA-approved compliance plan to reduce arsenic below the MCL; and properly monitor the systems’ water and report findings to EPA. EPA will continue to oversee the systems’ efforts to follow SDWA requirements and may levy civil penalties if the park owners fail to meet the compliance provisions in the emergency orders. The Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians have no direct control or ownership of the water systems. EPA works closely with the Tribe and has consulted their leadership about the violations. For more information on EPA's drinking water program, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water. Learn more about EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region. Connect with us on Facebook and on Twitter.

 

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Black Emergency Managers Association International Washington, D.C.  20020   bEMA International Cooperation, Collaboration, Communication, Coordination, Community engagement, and  Partnering (C5&P)   A 501 (c) 3 organization

“You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time.” —Angela Davis

 

How Cuba Combats Climate Change & How U.S. Blockade Affects Cuba April 9, 2022 12-2pm PT \ 3-5pm ET

 

 

 

SAN FRANCISCO Hybrid Event: SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 12-2 pm (PST) Topic: How Cuba Combats Climate Change & How U.S. Blockade Affects Cuba In-person event: ANSWER office: 2969 Mission Street    Online/Zoom event registration: bit.ly/HelenYaffeSF Sponsoring Organizations:  ANSWER-San Francisco,  Bay Area Cuba Saving Lives Committee,  Venceremos Brigade-Bay Area

 

Farm Sector Solvency, Liquidity, and Profitability Expected to Worsen Slightly in 2022

Solvency is a measure of the ability of a farm or ranch operation to satisfy its debt obligations when due. 

Popular measures of solvency include the 

• debt-to-asset ratio, 
• debt-to-equity ratio, and 
• equity-to-asset ratio. 

In 2022, these three solvency measures are expected to slightly worsen because debt is forecast to grow at a faster rate than the value of assets.]...ERS-USDA

Assets, Debt, and Wealth
Suggested citation for linking to this discussion:
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. Farm Sector Income & Finances: Assets, Debt, and Wealth, February 4, 2022.

https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/farm-economy/farm-sector-income-finances/assets-debt-and-wealth/

USDA ERS - Assets, Debt, and Wealth The farm business balance sheet reports estimates of the current market value of farm business sector assets, debt, and equity as of December 31 of a given year. It is called a "balance sheet" because of the accounting relationship: assets – debt = farm equity. Farmers and ranchers, agribusinesses and farm lenders, program administrators, policy analysts, and others often need information on ... www.ers.usda.gov