Trending in June – Executive Compensation and ESG, Hydrogen Transition and Climate Disclosures

At King & Spalding, we are advising our clients on ESG issues every day. We are tackling our clients’ most pressing ESG matters and doing so while collaborating across industries and practice areas. Our attorneys in Corporate, Finance and Investments, Government Matters and Trial and Global Disputes are actively involved and ready to help our clients in this fast-moving area. Below are a few of the ESG issues, topics and developments that we have been thinking about in June. 

1. Vanguard publishes policy insights on executive compensation and its view of best practices when tying compensation to ESG metrics. Click here to read.  
2. Vanguard updates its “Perspective on Say-on-Climate Proposals” and does not proactively encourage companies to hold “Say-on-Climate” votes given lack of established standards. Click here to read.
3. NextEra discusses plans to convert a large portion of its natural gas power plants to run on hydrogen through the use of electrolyzers. Click here to read.
4. BlackRock to launch perpetual infrastructure strategy to help drive global energy transition through energy security and transition infrastructure investments. Click here to read.
5. BlackRock proposes changes to SEC climate disclosure rules on Scope 3, closer alignment with TCFD, and increased liability safe harbors for companies in comment letter. Click here to read.

In case you missed them, you can also find linked below some recent articles and analysis from King & Spalding on particular ESG-related legal developments.

• EPA Sets Final Volumes for Renewable Fuel Standards Program for 2020, 2021, and 2022
• EPA’s new actions in the battery industry may promote uniformity
• US EPA Releases Guidance on Legal Tools to Advance Environmental Justice
• The EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive
• Partygate: Workplace Negations, Intoxications and Investigations