Oct. 17, 2018
I strongly encourage the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to require corporate managers to be honest with their shareholders about how they are planning for the long term. Specifically, I am speaking to how CEOs lobby politicians - lobbying to weaken employee protections, lobbying to weaken environmental protections, lobbying to prevent restrictions being set in place to mitigate the effects of climate warming, lobbying regarding cyber protections, lobbying to evade taxes, the list goes on and on. 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. Thank you for considering my comment. Catherine Caron