Oct. 17, 2018
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission should require corporate managers to be honest with their shareholders about how they are planning for the long term. Shareholders have a right to know if oil executives are trying to buy off politicians to slow progress on addressing climate change. They also have a right to know whether the company is cultivating diversity on its board or moving profits abroad to avoid paying taxes in the U.S. These are just a few examples of the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks that the SEC should require public companies to disclose to their shareholders and the public. They also should have some framework whereby social responsibility to the broader civil society is a requirement. If they take no care of the effects of their coal ash ponds or their Hog Feces Ponds they should be highly censored and heavily fined. Thank you for considering my comment. Pete Wilson