SEC ADOPTS RULE ON CONFLICT MINERALS

FROM: SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSIION

Washington, D.C., Aug. 22, 2012 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today adopted a rule mandated by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act to require companies to publicly disclose their use of conflict minerals that originated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) or an adjoining country.

The regulatory reform law directed the Commission to issue rules requiring certain companies to disclose their use of conflict minerals that include tantalum, tin, gold, or tungsten if those minerals are "necessary to the functionality or production of a product" manufactured by those companies. Companies are required to provide this disclosure on a new form to be filed with the SEC called Form SD.

After proposing the rule in 2010, the Commission hosted a roundtable in October 2011 to assist in finalizing the rule.

"I am pleased that the Commission has finalized this very challenging project in such a thoughtful manner," said SEC Chairman Mary L. Schapiro. "We have received significant public input on this rulemaking, and in response we incorporated many changes from the proposal that are designed to address concerns about the costs. I believe the final rule faithfully implements the statutory requirement as mandated by Congress in a fair and balanced manner."

Under the final rule, issuers are required to file for the same period — a calendar year — regardless of when their fiscal year ends. Companies will file their first specialized disclosure report on May 31, 2014 (for the 2013 calendar year) and annually on May 31 every year thereafter.