EarthRights International, a member of the Publish What You Pay U.S. (PWYP US) coalition, is excited to announce the introduction in the U.S. Senate of the “Energy Security through Transparency Act of 2009,” by Sens. Richard Lugar (R-IN) and Ben Cardin (D-MD). The Act, if passed, would require companies registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to report how much they pay each government for access to their oil, gas and minerals. This disclosure would apply to all companies that file with the SEC, regardless of where they are based, and would be added to existing SEC requirements. Most of the world’s extractive industries would be covered by this law, and would set a new international standard for corporate and state behavior.