Spencer A. Hill Jr., Manko, Gold, Katcher & Fox Courtesy photo
Since the early 2000s climate change and other environmental issues have been at the forefront of the nation’s social and political agendas. The country’s largest corporations were the first to be viewed as sustainability leaders. These efforts included voluntary efforts to reduce carbon emissions and conserve natural resources. The federal and state governments also started to address greenhouse gas emissions. The federal government and others also placed greater emphasis on combating corporate misconduct and fraud. In a memorandum addressed to Department of Justice prosecutors, Sally Yates, then-Deputy Attorney General, stressed that the departments should be focusing on corporate misconduct and enforcement of corporate accountability. The United States joined later that year the Paris Climate Agreement, an international treaty legally binding that aims at reducing global warming by limiting greenhouse gas emissions. Despite the two-pronged focus of corporate accountability, it was widely believed that Trump’s administration de-emphasized a prosecutorial response for corporate misconduct and environmental enforcement. The United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, despite its efforts to reduce regulatory burdens for development projects, was also an indication of a less aggressive approach to climate action.
