SEC says it will stop responding to no-action requests ‘entirely’

After sitting out the bulk of the no-action process in the 2025-26 proxy season, the SEC is now considering broader changes to the rule governing shareholder proposals.

By Lamar Johnson • Aug. 17, 2026

Bank of America pledges $250B toward updating US infrastructure

BofA will lend, bank, invest in and advise on projects such as data centers, power generation and transportation.

By Gabrielle Saulsbery • Aug. 17, 2026

Explore the Trendline➔

Top 5 stories from ESG Dive

The ESG landscape in the U.S. continues to shift, as federal agencies' efforts to recalibrate their approach to sustainability are juxtaposed with states forging ahead with their own climate disclosure laws.

By ESG Dive staff

$20B in federal climate grants unblocked by appeals court

A divided court rejected the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s attempt to reclaim Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund grants “based solely on a policy disagreement” with the Inflation Reduction Act. 

By Robyn Griggs Lawrence • Aug. 6, 2026

US sustainable funds see positive inflows for first time since 2022: Morningstar

After 14 consecutive quarters of outflows, sustainable funds in the United States saw almost $3 billion in net inflows during the year’s second quarter.

By Lamar Johnson • Aug. 5, 2026

Worker alleges lack of fossil fuel-free 401(k) option violated his religious rights

A lawsuit tying a worker’s climate objections to his Christian beliefs could set a precedent in the post-Groff landscape, his attorneys argued.

By Emilie Shumway • Aug. 5, 2026

JPMorgan to deploy $750B for affordable housing by 2035

The bank will invest the capital through its American Dream Initiative, an economic mobility program launched earlier this year that also aims to boost housing access.

By Lamar Johnson • Aug. 4, 2026

TotalEnergies buys all of Shell’s European renewable energy assets

The French multinational energy company will separately sell a 50% stake in a 1.2 GW renewables portfolio, valued at €1.8 billion ($2.07 billion), to investment firm KKR.

By Lamar Johnson • Aug. 3, 2026

Ceres adds NYC comptroller, former EPA administrator to board

Mark Levine and Gina McCarthy — who led the Biden administration’s climate policy office — were among five additions made to the sustainability nonprofit’s board of directors.

By Lamar Johnson • July 29, 2026

AI governance growing in importance for investors: Diligent Market Intelligence

“Governance around AI is probably going to be the most important thing in investor relations over the next two years,” Diligent’s editor-in-chief told ESG Dive.

By Lamar Johnson • July 28, 2026

California’s carbon-pricing program generated $36.2B for climate initiatives: report

The Cap-and-Invest program deployed $15.5 billion to back 600,000 projects focused on clean air, energy efficiency, affordability and emissions reductions.

By Zoya Mirza • July 24, 2026

Black-owned banks Optus, Mechanics & Farmers to merge

The roughly $105 million deal, set to close in the fourth quarter, will create a $1.3 billion-asset entity, the largest Black-owned bank in the country, the institutions said Wednesday.

By Dan Ennis • July 24, 2026

Tracking New York’s climate ambition and corporate disclosure laws

The Empire State has had to dial back its climate ambition and revise targets in the wake of COVID-19, the Trump administration’s opposition to renewable energy and the ongoing affordability crisis.

By Zoya Mirza • July 23, 2026

Investor coalition urges SEC to ‘largely retain’ shareholder proposal rule

The Securities and Exchange Commission has indicated plans to alter Rule 14a-8, which governs the shareholder proposal process, with Chair Paul Atkins hinting at wholesale changes.

By Lamar Johnson • July 23, 2026

92% of CFOs, top finance staff feel pressure to show ROI from AI: survey

Half of survey respondents said their AI agents have yielded only limited measurable ROI, according to Avalara.

By Jim Tyson • July 23, 2026

BlackRock’s GIP, Microsoft-backed AI group buy Aligned Data Centers for $40B

The deal represents the Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Partnership’s first investment, as it joins Global Infrastructure Partners and UAE tech investment firm MGX in acquiring the data center developer.

By Lamar Johnson • July 22, 2026

Citizens Bank to exit agreements with ICE contractors

Citizens called the end of its relationships with CoreCivic and GEO “a business decision” that “does not reflect any change in our view regarding these companies' business models or operations.”

By Gabrielle Saulsbery • July 21, 2026

Citi commits $25M to drive innovation in housing access, affordability

The funding will be provided through the Citi Impact Fund which backs startups that aim to advance social equity and assist economically vulnerable communities while generating financial returns.

By Zoya Mirza • July 20, 2026

IRA clean energy gains mostly on track despite OBBBA, says MIT study

The report estimates 74% of all new clean electricity capacity that would have been added under the Inflation Reduction Act will be preserved despite Trump administration policy changes, including 82% of utility-scale solar generation.

By Diana DiGangi • July 13, 2026

EU Commission adopts revised sustainability reporting standards

The changes are expected to remove over 70% of data points from the European Sustainability Reporting Standards and cut compliance costs by 30% per company.

By Lamar Johnson • July 10, 2026

Google, McKinsey, Tencent invest in Indonesia carbon removal

Google and McKinsey will purchase 335,000 metric tons of nature-based removals through the Symbiosis Coalition, while Tencent will purchase 300,000 metric tons as its first offtake outside of China.

By Lamar Johnson • July 9, 2026

Resilience projects need funding. Green banks could help them reach new investors, one researcher says.

A hybrid institutional capital model could package small infrastructure resilience projects to make them attractive to institutional investors, a new research paper proposes.

By Vicky Uhland • July 9, 2026

Analysts expect rising PPA prices as clean energy tax credits phase out

“That missing money has to come from somewhere to make the project pencil, and that will likely be through PPA prices,” said Josh Price, director of intelligence and research at Crux.

By Diana DiGangi • July 7, 2026

Deutsche Bank, Lufthansa invest in SAF to cut business travel emissions

The deal between the German lender and the aviation company is estimated to enable up to 5,500 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions reductions compared to conventional jet fuel.

By Zoya Mirza • July 6, 2026

Amazon invests in ecosystem restoration for 1.95M metric tons of removal credits

The deal will run for over a decade and support the second phase of a nature-based carbon removal project in South Africa.

By Lamar Johnson • July 6, 2026

KKR to buy EDF power solutions’ North American operations for $4.2B

The investment firm said the deal with EDF will support the United States’ “broader energy security and affordability goals” at a time when electricity demand is rising.

By Zoya Mirza • July 2, 2026