September 12, 2014 – September 19, 2014
The summaries provided in this Weekly Recap do not necessarily represent the views of Squire Sanders (US) LLP and should not be deemed to be endorsements of them. The Recap is intended to be a compilation of articles and events to encourage discussion within the conflict minerals community and to keep our readers updated on the most recent developments.
WSJ: Conflict Minerals List Makes Compliance a Little Easier
Rachel Ensign of the Wall Street Journal reports on the usefulness of the Department of Commerce’s list of smelters and refiners of conflict minerals in her article titled “The Morning Risk Report: Conflict Minerals List Makes Compliance a Little Easier.” Section 1502(d)(3)(C) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act required the Department of Commerce to publish a list “of all known conflict mineral processing facilities worldwide.”
Ensign reports that despite the Department of Commerce’s admission that it cannot distinguish between those facilities that are conflict-free and those that are not, the list will at least provide a baseline identification of smelters and refiners that are processing conflict minerals.
Bloomberg BNA: D.C. Circuit Shows Interest in Rehearing Panel’s SEC Conflict Minerals Rule Decision
Y. Wilczek of Bloomberg BNA, in an article titled “D.C. Circuit Shows Interest in Rehearing Panel’s SEC Conflict Minerals Rule Decision,” reports that the D.C. Circuit court ordered the three business groups that challenged the conflict minerals rule to file a joint response to Amnesty International’s August 2014 petition to the full court to rehear the case. Amnesty International petitioned the court to rehear the case in light of the decision in American Meat Institute v. USDA, which upheld the USDA’s regulations requiring meat producers to label the country of origin in which the products originated.
As required, the joint response was filed on Friday, September 12, 2014.
Plastics One Incorporated: Position on Conflict Minerals
Plastics One Inc., a medical component and cable manufacturer, recently released its position on conflict minerals. Excerpts from its position follow. “Plastics One Incorporated recognizes and supports the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, Section 1502 concerning Conflict Minerals. As a privately held company we are not required to report to the Security and Exchange Commission however we do accept our responsibility to support our customers and human rights. Our goal is to identify and eliminate the use of conflict minerals used in our manufacturing processes derived in the Democratic Republic of Congo and adjoining countries. Plastics One practices reasonable due diligence by surveying and partnering with suppliers that share our goal.”