Policy

This week in climate policy: 4 developments to watch

The SEC pauses its corporate climate disclosure rule. Read More

By Leah Garden April 8, 2024 (Updated on July 24, 2024)

Image courtesy of Shutterstock/Mark Van Scyoc

First, an important story to follow. The Securities and Exchange Commission instituted a stay on its climate disclosure rule requiring companies to disclose emissions-related information to provide more transparency for current and prospective investors. The pause is a result of a GOP-led lawsuit, although the SEC clarified that it is temporary and does not indicate an abandonment of the rule.

Wednesday, April 10: The House Financial Services Committee will hold a hearing titled “Beyond Scope: How the SEC’s Climate Rule Threatens American Markets.” The Republican led committee will host a former SEC chairman and counsel, among others.

Wednesday, April 10: The Senate Environment and Public Works committee will hold a hearing to examine the state of air quality monitoring technology. While details regarding the hearing haven’t been released, air quality monitoring technology is vital to federal and state strategies to decrease emissions.

Wednesday, April 10: The House Committee on Foreign Affairs will conduct a hearing on “USAID’s Foreign Policy and International Development Priorities in the Era of Great Power Competition,” with the Hon. Samantha Power, USAID administrator, acting as witness. No other information has been released.

Friday, April 12: A briefing by The Environmental and Energy Study Institute will cover “Funding the Future: The Impact of Federal Clean Energy Investments.” The hearing will cover the Biden administration’s 2025 fiscal budget request and partnerships between the DOE and the private sector to improve and deploy clean energy. Panelists from the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, United Airlines, Fervo Energy and Southwire will discuss how such partnerships can help drive decarbonization and build a clean energy workforce.

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Leah Garden

Leah Garden is a policy, climate and tech journalist and the former Environment Fellow with Young Professionals in Foreign Policy. She has written for The Daily Beast, The New Republic, Modern Farmer, and others, reporting on topics ranging from the sustainability of bioengineered food to the possibility of growing meat during long-haul space missions. Leah has a master's degree in Sustainability Management from American University and is an alumna of the Freeman College of Management at Bucknell University.