"ENVIRONMENTAL DISCLOSURE: SEC Should Explore Ways to Improve Tracking and Transparency of Information," is the title of this 80-page report issued this month by the GAO (United States Government Accountability Office). This and several other reports are discussed in this article on SocialFunds.com.
A second story, this one from Reuters, reports that:
NEW YORK, July 15 - U.S. financial regulators have agreed to improve the way they track disclosure of corporate environmental costs, according to a report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).Posted by Marcia Oddi at July 20, 2004 12:42 PM
In the 74-page report, the GAO recommended and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) agreed to creation of a searchable database at its Web site so investors and analysts can track environmental liabilities like clean-up costs, fines, and potential risks from pollution and hazardous materials.
The changes would also help the SEC assess how well it enforces environmental disclosure and adjust its reporting requirements, said the GAO, the investigative arm of the U.S. Congress.