Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti Details Consumer Protection Lawsuit Against BlackRock’s ESG Investing

TN AG Courtroom

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said his consumer protection lawsuit against BlackRock’s Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) investing will force the company to disclose if it is mixing ESG factors when making investment decisions instead of focusing on financial factors relative to the rate of return.

Skrmetti filed his lawsuit against BlackRock in December 2023, alleging that the hedge fund has misled consumers in Tennessee about the scale and impacts of its ESG initiatives for several years.

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Hobbs Vetoes Ban on ESG Investments in Arizona

Gov. Katie Hobbs has used her well-worn veto stamp on a bill that would have banned public investment funds in Arizona to do so through the lens of environmental, social and governance, or ESG, investing practices.

Hobbs vetoed Senate Bill 1500 on June 16. If enacted, it would have required the state treasurer to list all state investments by name on a public site so that all investments might be made “in the sole interest of the beneficiary taxpayer.”

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Montana AG Threatens Legal Action over ESG Investments Made by Non-Profit Attorneys General Group

Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has threatened to take legal action over Environmental, Social and Governance investments made by the nonprofit organization National Association of Attorneys General.

ESG investment strategies, increasingly prevalent among large-asset management firms, try to leverage investors’ assets to steer corporate decision-making to promote progressive social and environmental priorities.

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