The
July 15, 2004
bipartisan symposium was sponsored by 13 Members of Congress on corporate disclosure of material environmental information in financial statements and SEC filings. The event featured remarks from Sens. Corzine (D-N.J.), Representative Donald Payne (D-NJ.), as well as GAO Environmental Division Director John Stephenson, and SEC Commissioner Roel Campos. These speakers were followed by Steve Shimberg from the Environmental Protection Agency, Maine State Treasurer Dale McCormick, corporate governance expert Nell Minnow and Steve Lydenberg, Chief Investment Officer of Domini Social Investments.
The symposium centered around the release of a new GAO report titled “Environmental Disclosure: SEC Should
Explore Ways
to Improve Tracking and Transparency of Information.” An agenda and background materials, a press advisory, and a summary of the event are available. Two additional studies were released at the event, one on aggressive environmental accounting tactics (Rose Foundation), and another on climate change reporting in SEC filings (Friends of the Earth). Symposium materials also included: a recent Financial Executive article on environmental transparency and a summary of a report on environmental disclosure in the mining sector, and a recent report titled “The materiality of social, environmental and corporate governance issues in equity pricing.” (UNEP)
