Expanded ESG Looms Over 401(k) Funds Already Mired in Red Tape

Regulators would overemphasize the “E” in ESG retirement investing by expanding annual company disclosures to probe climate change risk mitigation efforts, according to advocacy groups and Biden administration critics.

The US Labor Department is weighing plans to augment its proposed rule on environmental, social, and governance retirement investing by grilling plans for more information about how they choose their investments.

Retirement investing is the latest battle in the Biden administration’s effort to remake the federal government in a greener image, but ESG reports in the employee benefits space—filed with the Labor Department—may be one document too many for companies facing ...