• District of Columbia: EPA has pushed back the deadline to report unpublished data on the health and safety impacts of 16 toxic chemicals, including some that have been linked to cancer or developmental issues in infants. Previously, the Biden administration finalized a rule requiring manufacturers of the chemicals to submit unpublished data to EPA by March 13. However, the Trump administration pushed back the deadline, first by several months and now until May 22, 2026. According to EPA, the extension will allow the agency time to develop guidance based on any objections raised by industry groups. Although industry groups have welcomed the extension, environmental experts say it could lengthen the risk evaluation process and delay any future decisions to limit exposures to the harmful chemicals or require new protective measures. "The entire purpose of the reporting rule was to generate timely information about chemicals that EPA has selected or proposed for risk evaluation," said Jonathan Kalmuss-Katz, a senior attorney at the advocacy group Earthjustice. "Delayed reporting deprives EPA scientists of the information they need to conduct those evaluations, increasing the likelihood that serious health risks are overlooked and left unaddressed." (Ajasa, Washington Post, 6/12)
• Illinois: The American Medical Association (AMA) has signed a multiyear agreement with OpenEvidence, an AI clinical decision support company. Under the agreement, OpenEvidence will be able to use content from AMA's publications, including the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and JAMA specialty journals, in its AI search tool. The tool allows clinicians to input details about a patient's clinical presentation and find relevant academic articles. According to Modern Healthcare, this is OpenEvidence's second significant partnership in 2025, with the first being with NEJM Group, which published the New England Journal of Medicine. (Turner, Modern Healthcare, 6/5)
• Montana: The Montana Supreme Court ruled 6-1 that abortion restrictions passed by Republican lawmakers in 2021 were unconstitutional, ending a yearslong legal battle from healthcare providers and reproductive rights activists. The three bills would have restricted abortion after 20 weeks, added regulations to medication abortions, and required providers to offer patients a chance to view an ultrasound and listen to a fetal heart tone before filling out a state-written form about their decision. In 2024, a state district court ruled that the laws infringed on Montana's constitutional right to privacy. Most of the state supreme court's justices agreed with the state district court's ruling, saying that protections for procreative autonomy, including pre-viability abortions, are included in the state's right to privacy. "The Court's decision further protects what Montanans need and deserve: legal access to compassionate, timely abortion care, free from government interference," said Martha Fuller, CEO of Planned Parenthood Montana. (Silvers, Montana Free Press, 6/9)

With all the priorities demanding board room attention, it's justified to be skeptical of whether Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) is the most pressing issue to address. We do some of the work for you by assuming a skeptic's perspective to ask "is ESG really worth your time right now?"  Read our expert insight to learn five of the most common reasons for not moving on ESG and what our research indicates are the answers.