On April 16, 2021, the SEC reopened the comment period on the proposed rules pertaining to the use of universal proxy cards in all non-exempt solicitations for contested director elections. Given the changes to the economic landscape concerning investing and universal proxy handling over the last few years, the SEC is interested in allowing the public to offer additional views.
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On April 19, 2021, the SEC announced that its New York and San Francisco regional offices will co-host an event to discuss the experiences of tech entrepreneurs of color when raising capital for businesses and to give business founders an opportunity to learn more about the resources the SEC provides. The webcast will take place on Tuesday, April 27, 2021, from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. ET. The event is open to the public and may be attended via live telecast. {expires: 2021-04-28} Continue reading "SEC’s Regional Offices to Co-Host Webcast..." »

On April 15, 2021, the FERC published a policy statement outlining how the agency will address market rules proposed by regional grid operators seeking to integrate a state-determined carbon price in organized wholesale electricity markets.
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On Friday, April 17, 2021, the SEC announced that Gary Gensler has been sworn into office as a member of the SEC and the agency’s Chair. Mr. Gensler was nominated to Chair the SEC by President Joseph R. Biden on February 3, 2021, and the Senate voted to confirm him as SEC Chairman on April 14, 2021.
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The SEC voted on April 5, 2021 to take the following actions to further progress toward implementation of security-based swap regulation pursuant to Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act: The agency is publishing a notice of application and proposed substituted compliance order in response to an application from the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and is also re-opening the comment period on the notice of application and proposed substituted compliance order in relation to the application by France’s Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) and Autorité de Contrôle Prudentiel et de Résolution (ACPR). Continue reading "SEC Issues Substituted and Proposed Compliance..." »

XBRL US has announced that it will host an online workshop discussing the governance structure established by the Financial Accounting Standard Board (FASB) to ensure that investors, issuers, data intermediaries, and application providers are not only involved in the process of continuing taxonomy development, but also are apprised of changes in reporting requirements that will affect them. The remote event will take place on Wednesday, April 21, 2021, beginning at 3:00 p.m. EDT and will last approximately 60 minutes. {expires: 2021-04-22} Continue reading "XBRL US to Host Webinar Standards for..." »

The FERC has announced that its staff will host a workshop comprised of panel discussions and virtual listening sessions. The virtual event will allow various stakeholder groups and interested parties the opportunity to provide feedback to the agency on the creation and operation of the Office of Public Participation (OPP). The sessions will also allow the public to share their opinions and suggestions on how the FERC should establish the OPP to foster and facilitate public participation. The event, free and open for the public to attend remotely, will take place on Friday, April 16, 2021, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EDT. It can be viewed on the FERC’s website. {expires: 2021-04-24} Continue reading "FERC Will Hold Workshop and Seek Public Comment..." »

The FERC has announced that it will hold a virtual technical conference to foster communication between its Commissioners and stakeholders. The two entities will discuss the transition from non-electric to electric sources of energy at the point of final consumption, for example, to: 1) fuel vehicles; 2) heat and cool homes and businesses, and 3) provide process heat at industrial facilities. {expires: 2021-04-30}
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The FERC has announced that its staff will convene a remote conference Monday, April 19, 2021 from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM EST. This conference will bring together the project licensee, Pacific Gas & Electric, and other stakeholders to discuss the Kerckhoff Hydroelectric Project (No. 96). Moreover, participants will address matters related to moving forward with the approved Whitewater Boating Assessment (REC 1), Run 1, and Run 2 Flow Studies. {expires: 2021-04-20} Continue reading "FERC to Host Teleconference to Discuss..." »

On Monday, April 5th, the SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy (OIEA) made an announcement in line with National Financial Capability Month to encourage investors to take the time to visit Investor.gov and utilize an array of resources to become educated about investing. These efforts are intended for all investors but are especially targeted at investors who are new to investing. April has been highlighted by the US federal government as National Financial Capability Month in order to promote the value of high-quality financial education as a means to enrich American lives. Continue reading "SEC Advocates for Investor Awareness During..." »

On March 23, 2021, the FERC announced several filing deadline extensions for third quarter 2021 quarterly filings for electric utilities, natural gas, and oil pipeline companies. These extensions are intended to allow additional time necessary for the transition to the XBRL-based system. Continue reading "FERC Extends 3rd Quarter Filing Deadlines for..." »

On March 24, 2021, the SEC approved provisional final amendments to carry out congressionally mandated submission and disclosure conditions introduced in the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act of December 2020 (HFCA Act). The provisional final amendments pertain to registrants that: 1) the SEC identifies as having filed an annual report on Forms 10-K, 20-F, 40-F or N-CSR with an audit report issued by a registered public accounting firm that is in a foreign jurisdiction; and 2) the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) has determined it is unable to inspect or investigate entirely because of a position taken by an authority in that jurisdiction. Continue reading "SEC Issues Interim Amendments and Seeks Public..." »

On March 22, 2021, the SEC introduced a new webpage on sec.gov dedicated to the fusion of agency activity with the latest information about climate and environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing. The agency’s endeavor examines how these two matters converge with the broader regulatory framework to provide the information investors need to be able to plan for their financial future.
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On March 22, 2021, the FERC announced that it took broad steps to eliminate obstacles that hinder newer technologies, including energy storage, and distributed energy resources (DER) from being involved in wholesale markets. The additional measures guarantee that demand response resources can be merged with other forms of DERs to promote grid dependability, benefit consumers, and enhance competition.
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The SEC upgraded the EDGAR system to Release 21.1 on March 22, 2021. The system now supports the 2021 reporting taxonomies, which are the final versions of the draft taxonomies that were posted by SEC staff for public comment on September 1, 2020.
Continue reading "SEC Announces 2021 XBRL Taxonomies Update" »