Climate disclosures and politics by bureaucracy

The Grumpy Economist (blog) ^ | December 13, 2022 | John Cochrane

[karpov]

One of the most important and under-reported struggles under the radar is the politicization of administrative agencies, and the effort to cement via those agencies policies that Congress will never vote for, but that once enshrined will be very difficult for any administration or Congress to overturn.

One central part of that is the "whole of government" climate policy, centered around stopping fossil fuel development and subsidizing electric cars, photovoltaics and windmills. Never mind that large scale storage remains a pipe dream, never mind the lessons of Europe.

SEC

As reported by James Freeman in the WSJ the courageous Hester Peirce is again clarifying just what the SEC's new climate rules really mean. Background: SEC wants to mandate "disclosure" of carbon emissions and "climate risks," not just by each individual business but also each businesses' suppliers and customers. That is transparently impossible, a lawyer and consultant employment act, and a tremendous opening to harass companies for mis-statements. But Hester goes on insightfully:

... the climate proposal mandates disclosure about board oversight of climate-related risks, including identifying board members or board committees responsible for overseeing climate-related risks; detailing board member climate expertise; describing the processes and frequency of discussions about climate-related risks; explaining how the board is informed about, and how often it thinks about, climate-related risks and whether it considers climate-related risks as part of its business strategy, risk management, and financial oversight; and describing whether and how the board sets climate-related targets or goals and how it oversees progress in achieving them.The proposal also includes a corresponding set of disclosures related to management: who is responsible for managing climate-related risks, what their climate expertise is, how they get informed about those risks, and how often the managers responsible for climate-related risks report to the board...

Shudder.

[BipolarBob]

I want a full disclosure from all Congresscritters on their contribution to Climate Change. They require this from major corporations so they should be obligated as well. I want to know how many air miles they travel. How many automobile miles they travel. How much exotic food they eat. Their overall energy expenses. And lastly and most importantly, how much hot air they pollute the sky with on their pontifications and blustery ramblings.

[Organic Panic]

Fire 99% of the bureaucrats and no one would ever notice.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=r4oPXHWrqVI

[ConservativeInPA]

The “whole of government” approach needs to broken by the defund the most of government approach. Government has a monopoly on our money and freedoms. It’s time to give trust busting a new definition. My trust in government has long been busted.