Last week, the SEC voted to propose rules that would require resource extraction issuers to disclose payments made to foreign governments or the US federal government for the commercial development of oil, natural gas, or mineral resources. These proposed rules come after a series of SEC actions, court proceedings, and Congressional actions. As mandated by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the SEC first adopted rules pertaining to resource extraction issuers in 2012, which were subsequently vacated by the US District Court for the District of Columbia. The SEC then adopted new rules in 2016, but these rules were disapproved by a joint resolution of Congress pursuant to the Congressional Review Act. After the 2016 rules were vacated, the statutory mandate remains in effect, requiring the SEC to issue a rule in these regards. Furthermore, that rule must not be “substantially the same”, according to the Congressional Review Act. These new proposed rules attempt to meet that mandate.
Continue reading "SEC Proposes Rules to Implement the Statutory..." »