Jun. 1, 2022
To Whom It May Concern: I OPPOSE the Biden Administration's Woke Climate Disclosure Scheme. this is nothing more than a legislation-by-regulation scheme cooked up by the President and the radical Left to quietly FORCE their woke environmental agenda on the American people without actually passing it through Congress. If enacted, this complicated scheme would saddle companies with massive new costs, discouraging companies from going public and forcing them to shift resources from job creation and innovation to compliance with the radical Left's over-the-top mandates. When President Biden took office in 2021, America enjoyed energy independence. But no longer. Biden canceled the Keystone XL Pipeline, destroying thousands of well-paying jobs in the process. He and his executive branch appointees began a crusade against American energy companies – and to fill our energy needs, the President has resorted to begging Middle Eastern countries and Venezuela to increase their production! It’s as if Biden prefers foreign energy production over U.S. production, and WANTS Americans to pay more to drive to work and to heat and cool our homes. The latest assault on American energy companies comes from the SEC in the form of a 500+ page proposal to require public companies to report their various impacts on “climate change.” This proposal is part of the Biden SEC’s crusade to implement the Left’s climate agenda, which is stalled in Congress. This complicated legislation-through-regulation scheme will saddle companies with huge new costs and enable the “woke” ESG crowd to bully companies – all the while enriching the trial bar, who’ll find new ways to sue productive companies; and big accounting firms, who’ll reap revenue from helping companies comply with these reporting requirements. And for what? Public companies are already required to disclose “material” risks, and that includes climate change, for some companies But Biden’s SEC is not content to regulate within its legislative authority. If adopted, these sweeping new disclosures will discourage companies from going public, and will force them to shift resources from innovation and job creation to compliance with the Left’s mandates This will destroy American competitiveness, and make us dependent on foreign governments for cutting-edge products. Even more frightening are the implications for our national security. If we’re dependent on foreign oligarchs and dictators for our energy needs, we are vulnerable to those foreign leaders’ whims and demands. Americans want energy independence, not more shaming of our oil and gas companies. Regards, Dawn Castle