Jun. 16, 2022
To Whom it may concern: I write today in OPPOSITION to the SEC making any evaluations relating to ay company’s Environmental, Social, and Governance ratings. I believe it to be well beyond the scope of the SEC’s statutory authority, an ESG “score” being particularly prone to political bias and/or personal preference or interpretation of bureaucrats who may be well-meaning, but who may instead be unintentionally damning a company unreasonably. The ESG policies of companies are routinely reviewed by company executives, boards, and has the added safeguard of shareholder scrutiny. Employees and whistlleblowers add an additional layer of review. This helps ensure sensible environmental, social, and governance practices and is all that is necessary. The unnecessary intrusion into corporate decision-making by the SEC makes companies have to expend too much money to comply with record-keeping and other demands and does nothing to improve their products or services. I believe the corporate world to usually be responsive to such things without the burdensome intrusion by the government. The SEC is important to ensuring accounting practices, public financial disclosures, and other such matters that are directly related to the sale of securities are held to minimum standards. ESG well exceeds that and are not the proper mandate of the SEC. Thank you. Liz Warren Lake Worth, FL