Environmental Due Diligence Guide

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Volume: 16 Number: 10
October 18, 2007

SEC Petitioned to Examine Climate-Related Disclosures

A coalition of environmental advocates, public pension fund managers, and other groups petitioned the Securities and Exchange Commission Sept. 18 to determine if publicly traded companies are providing adequate details on how their operations could be hurt by, or benefit from, the effects of climate change.

The 22 petitioners, which include Environmental Defense and various state officials who oversee public pension funds, also called on the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance to immediately begin “closely scrutinizing the adequacy” of climate-related disclosures under existing law.

NBA is the only association dedicated to representing the diverse interests of brownfield stakeholders, both nationally and internationally. We have our finger on the pulse of the industry.”

The link below provides more information about the NBA and the individual chapters at the state level.

Question: Are any of our readers members? Please tell us about your experiences with the NBA.

Advice: Consider joining!

For purposes of generating discussion, I’m a landowner.

Maybe….I bought a manufacturing company that had been operating for years. Once I took control, I found out the previous owner had been allowing contaminants to seep into the slab of my building and possibly to affect soil and/or groundwater.

Or maybe…..I’ve owned a manufacturing company for years and that pesky shop foreman has bothered me once too many times about the leaky fuel tank out back. I’m going to look into it once and for all to make him stop complaining.

Question: Where do I start? Should I call the City…what department? Should I call the County….what department? Should I call an environmentalist? Should I call that divorce attorney I met at the club? Or should I just rent a backhoe and start digging around out back to see what the problem is?

Question: Are you with the City or the County or a law firm or a consulting firm, or somewhere else? What are your thoughts on where my first call should be?

CCLR appears to be an outstanding organization and resource for information.

Question: Have any of our readers attended CCLR workshops or other events? Please tell us about your experiences.

CCLR

The Center for Creative Land Recycling (CCLR or “see clear”) is a nonprofit organization that repairs fractured communities and discourages urban sprawl through creative private, public, and nonprofit partnerships. Our work is accomplished through training, technical assistance, and small grants for communities who are attempting to turn around vacant or environmentally distressed properties.

Below is some information about the Connecticut Brownfields Redevelopment Authority.

Looks like a great resource for what/where/how in Connecticut. It even lists sites that need help.

Follow-up: I’ll take a look for similar sites for other states and regions.

Question: Do any of our readers know of similar sites that you can let us know about?