Minerals

Nearly two weeks after the Senate passed the motion via the Congressional Review Act, President Donald Trump signed a bill to repeal the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules requiring commercial developers of oil, natural gas and minerals to disclose any payments made to U.S. or foreign governments.

House Speaker Paul Ryan has indicated, in no uncertain terms, that he does not expect this to be the last final rule to be repealed by the CRA under Trump. Read on to learn more about the motion and published remarks made by Trump and others. 

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The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that a portion of a hotly debated Dodd-Frank rule promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission violates the First Amendment. The commission’s “conflict minerals” rule implemented Dodd-Frank provisions that require certain firms to describe whether their products are “conflict free” in relation to the ongoing armed struggle in the region of the Congo. However, the court said the statute interferes with the exercise of the freedom of speech. Read on »

A regulator that has seen some of its Dodd-Frank rules vacated in federal court scored a legal victory. Three trade groups challenged a Securities and Exchange Commission rule related to conflict minerals, arguing that the SEC’s rulemaking was arbitrary and capricious and that the final rule compels speech in violation of the First Amendment. The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia upheld the rulemaking. Read on for the court’s reasoning. Read on »

A regulator that saw one of its Dodd-Frank rules vacated by a federal court in 2011 suffered another legal setback. A U.S. District Court judge tossed out the Securities and Exchange Commission’s resource extraction payments rule on July 2. Read on to learn about the court’s reasoning. Read on »

Overhauling the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s leadership structure, improving regulatory coordination and repealing the Volcker Rule are among the items included in a broad package of Dodd-Frank tweaks suggested by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Read on to learn about the chamber’s new “Fix, Add, Replace Agenda” for financial reform. Read on »

Three U.S. Senators said a lawsuit targeting controversial Securities and Exchange Commission rules promulgated under the Dodd-Frank Act also challenges the powers of Congress.

A group of trade associations launched a legal challenge targeting the SEC’s extraction payments disclosure rules in October 2012, arguing the commission misinterpreted Dodd-Frank’s requirements when it promulgated its final rule. In their amicus brief, the senators said the lawsuit also “implicates the ability of the legislature to make judgments regarding the national and energy security of the United States.”   

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The Securities and Exchange Commission pursued a “robust, investor-focused” rulemaking agenda and maintained an aggressive enforcement posture in FY 2012, according to the agency’s recently released annual report. Read on to learn about the SEC’s 2013 rulemaking goals and some of the challenges the regulator faces. Read on »

A group of industry associations asked a federal court to review a highly controversial rule recently finalized by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The rule related to conflict minerals is just the latest in a growing list of Dodd-Frank regulations referred to the courts. Read on for the details. Read on »

The debate over regulators’ assessments of the costs and benefits associated with their rulemakings under the Dodd-Frank Act intensified as a coalition of industry groups launched a legal challenge targeting controversial regulations recently finalized by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Read on to learn about the lawsuit and the cost-benefit battle. Read on »

The Securities and Exchange Commission is preparing to consider final rules implementing Dodd-Frank’s controversial conflict minerals and resource extraction reporting provisions. The action comes as a report finds Dodd-Frank’s conflict minerals provisions contributed to a steep drop in profits for Congolese warlords. Read on »