The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced the creation of an environmental, social and governance task force that will develop initiatives to proactively identify ESG-related misconduct.
The Climate and ESG Task Force, a unit of the Enforcement Division, will also coordinate the effective use of division resources such as using sophisticated data analysis to mine and assess information across registrants, as well as to identify potential violations, according to the announcement.
Kelly L. Gibson, the acting deputy director of enforcement, will oversee the 22-member team drawn from the SEC’s headquarters, regional offices and enforcement specialized units.
The SEC said the task force’s initial focus will be to identify any material gaps or misstatements in issuers’ disclosure of climate risks under existing rules. It will also analyze disclosure and compliance issues relating to investment advisors’ and funds’ ESG strategies.
The work of the task force will complement the agency’s other initiatives in this area, including the recent appointment of Satyam Khanna as senior policy advisor for climate and ESG. The team also will work closely with other SEC divisions and offices, including the divisions of corporation finance, investment management and examinations, the SEC said.
Additionally, the task force will evaluate and pursue tips, referrals, and whistleblower complaints on ESG-related issues, and provide expertise and insight to teams working on ESG-related matters across the division. ESG related tips, referrals and whistleblower complaints can be submitted to https://www.sec.gov/tcr.