Regulations
California sues Trump administration over offshore wind ‘extortion racket’
California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the California Energy Commission filed a lawsuit on Friday against the Trump administration and developer Golden State Wind, alleging that the 'buyback' agreement for the offshore wind lease has an 'extortionate' nature. The lease, located off Morro Bay on California's central coast, has a capacity of approximately 2 gigawatts. The developer had won it with a bid of $150.3 million and later agreed to cancel the lease for $120 million. The lawsuit states that the Trump administration first devalued the lease and then repurchased it at the original price, forcing the developer to accept. California had previously invested over $100 million to support offshore wind.
B&G Foods’ Green Giant sale runs into antitrust concerns in Canada
The Canadian Competition Bureau believes that B&G Foods' sale of its Canadian Green Giant and Le Sueur operations to Nortera Foods could harm competition and has requested the Competition Tribunal to block it. B&G Foods responded that the transaction is in the interests of all parties and is evaluating various response options.
US calls for EU to ‘deliver’ on trade concessions on sustainability laws
The U.S. government has formally requested that the European Union make additional adjustments to its corporate sustainability laws, arguing that current reforms fail to address key concerns affecting American businesses. Ambassador Andrew Puzder's letter highlights issues with the directives' scope, double materiality standards, and extraterritorial application, and warns of potential actions if no solution is found.
Worker alleges lack of fossil fuel-free 401(k) option violated his religious rights
An employee at Thermo Fisher Scientific requested a fossil-fuel-free investment option in the 401(k) plan on religious grounds, and after being denied, filed a lawsuit. The case could become an early example at the intersection of religious rights and climate action following the Groff v. DeJoy ruling.
Paper producer Domtar agrees to pay $1.5M to settle clean air violations
Domtar reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, paying a $1.5 million fine and investing approximately $2.6 million in emission reduction projects to resolve allegations of Clean Air Act and state water pollution law violations at its Arkansas facility.
Tracking New York’s climate ambition and corporate disclosure laws
Against the backdrop of federal climate policy regression, New York State continues to advance corporate climate disclosure legislation, but Governor Hochul has recently proposed relaxing the 2030 emission reduction targets, citing costs and feasibility. This article summarizes relevant bill progress, target revisions, and the moratorium on data centers.
Investor coalition urges SEC to 'largely retain' shareholder proposal rules
The SEC plans to amend shareholder proposal rules this year, drawing opposition from a coalition of investor advocates. The coalition filed a petition to 'largely retain' the rules and restore the no-action process, while also proposing measures such as a mandatory two-week engagement period.