Katherine E. May Partner

At the Practicing Law Institute's SEC Speaks conference, held Sept. 8 – 9 in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission leadership espoused an ambitious agenda for both rulemaking and enforcement in 2022 and beyond. 

The annual SEC Speaks conference, in which SEC leadership highlights the agency’s current enforcement priorities and previews their agenda for the coming year, was held in Washington, D.C., on September 8-9. SEC leaders emphasized that regulation of the cryptocurrency market continues to be a top enforcement priority.

As discussed in this Update, the SEC’s enforcement agenda has ramifications on both the corporate and individual levels, including: (1) increased regulatory actions against market participants in cryptocurrency and blockchain-based token activities; (2) enhanced scrutiny over disclosures, including those related to digital assets, ESG matters, supply chain, and cyber incidents; and (3) a renewed focus on individual accountability.

The U.S. Supreme Court, on April 20, stepped into the long-simmering debate about the rights of residential homeowners affected by Superfund response actions, ruling that they are indeed bound by the federal statute’s ban against potentially responsible parties taking additional, unauthorized remedial actions.

American Bar Association
Environment, Energy, and Resources Law: The Year in Review 2018
Forest Resources chapter

EPA is currently reviewing comments on its November 14, 2018 proposed rule to exempt livestock farms from reporting routine farm air emissions under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) and intends to issue a final rule this spring.