Risks associated with climate change may adversely affect our business and financial results and damage our reputation.
Recently, there has been growing concern from advocacy groups, government agencies and the general public over the effects of climate change on the environment. Transition risks, such as government restrictions, standards or regulations intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and potential climate change impacts, are emerging and may increase in the future in the form of restrictions or additional requirements on the development of commercial real estate. Government authorities and various interest groups are promoting laws and regulations that could limit greenhouse gas emissions due to concerns over contributions to climate change. Such restrictions and requirements could increase our costs or require additional technology and capital investment by our borrowers, which could adversely affect our operations. Any additional taxation or regulation of energy use, including as a result of (i) the regulations that the United States Environmental Protection Agency has proposed or may propose in the future, (ii) state programs and regulations, or (iii) renewed greenhouse gas legislative efforts by future Congresses, could result in increased operating costs that we may not be able to effectively pass on to our tenants.
Additionally, actual or perceived ESG matters and our response to these matters could harm our business, including in areas such as diversity, equity and inclusion, human rights, climate change and environmental stewardship, support for local communities, corporate governance and transparency and considering ESG factor in our investment processes. Increasing governmental, investor and societal attention to ESG matters, including expanding mandatory and voluntary reporting, diligence, and disclosure on topics such as climate change, human capital, labor and risk oversight, could expand the nature, scope, and complexity of matters that we are required to control, assess and report. These factors may alter the environment in which we do business and may increase the ongoing costs of compliance and adversely impact our results of operations and cash flows. If we are unable to adequately address such ESG matters or we or our borrowers fail or are perceived to fail to comply with all laws, regulations, policies and related interpretations, it could negatively impact our reputation and our business results.
Further, the physical effects of climate change, including extreme weather events such as hurricanes or floods, can also have an adverse impact on the properties underlying our investments, operations and business. For example, properties underlying our investments could be severely damaged or destroyed from either singular extreme weather events (for example floods, storms and wildfires) or through long-term impacts of climatic conditions (such as precipitation frequency, weather instability and rise of sea levels). If we fail to adequately prepare for such events, our revenues, results of operations and financial condition may be impacted. Climate change could also increase utility and other costs of operating the properties underlying our investments, including increased costs for energy, water and other supply chain materials, which, if not offset by rising rental income or paid by tenants, could have a material adverse effect on the properties underlying our investments and on our operations and business.
Failure to identify and exclude bad actors could disqualify us from relying on certain rules on which we rely.
We are offering common shares in a private offering, not registered under the Securities Act, or any other securities laws, including state securities or blue sky laws. Our common shares are offered in reliance upon the exemption from registration thereunder provided by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act and Rule 506 of Regulation D promulgated under the Securities Act. If certain persons and entities involved with the offering of the common shares, including any shareholder holding (20%) or more of a fund’s outstanding voting equity securities, are or have been subject to certain criminal convictions, SEC disciplinary orders, court injunctions or similar adverse events (collectively, “bad act determinations”), then in certain instances we may be disqualified from relying upon Rule 506. There is no assurance that efforts to exercise reasonable care to identify and exclude bad actors from participating in the offering will be deemed to be sufficient to comply with these requirements. If we were disqualified from relying upon the exemption from registration provided in Rule 506, there may not be another exemption from registration available under the Securities Act and, consequently, we may not have an exemption from registration under any state securities or blue sky laws. If these exemptions from registration were unavailable, then we may be subject to, and incur significant costs related to, enforcement actions and rescission rights may be available to the shareholders, which if exercised, may require us to liquidate assets earlier and on less advantageous terms than were anticipated at underwriting and/or may cause us to have a more limited amount of capital available for investment, impairing our ability to assemble, manage, retain and harvest a complete and balanced portfolio.
We expect that we will be operated pursuant to an exemption or exclusion from the registration requirements under the CFTC regulations.
Although the BlackRock Advisor is registered with the CFTC as a commodity pool operator and a commodity trading advisor, it is expected that we will be operated pursuant to an exemption or exclusion from the registration requirements under the CFTC regulations, including pursuant to certain no-action relief with respect to mortgage REITs. Therefore, none of the Advisors, BlackRock or Monticello will be required to provide prospective investors with a CFTC compliant disclosure document, nor will they be required to provide investors with periodic account statements or certified annual reports that satisfy the requirements of CFTC rules applicable to registered commodity pool operators, in connection with any offerings of common shares.
Failure to obtain and maintain an exemption from being regulated as a commodity pool operator could subject us to additional regulation and compliance requirements that could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Registration with the CFTC as a “commodity pool operator” or any change in our operations necessary to maintain our ability to rely upon an applicable exemption from being regulated as a commodity pool operator could adversely affect our ability to implement our investment program, conduct our operations or achieve our objectives and subject us to certain additional costs, expenses and administrative burdens. Furthermore, any determination by us to cease or to limit investing in interests that may be treated as “commodity interests” to comply with the regulations of the CFTC may have a material adverse effect on our ability to implement our investment objectives and to hedge risks associated with our operations.
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