Author: Michael Shank

What Do We Mean When We Say “Clean Energy”?

FAST COMPANY 04/08/16 By Michael Shank and Leilani Munter We need to stop using natural gas and nuclear on our way to truly clean power. We now know how extensively and dangerously oil industry giants, such as ExxonMobil, sowed doubt in the American mind regarding the existence of global warming, […]

No Longer a Need for Nuclear Plant

TIMES UNION 04/10/16 By Michael Shank and Paul Gallay Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s concerns about Indian Point are centered solely on providing public safety and sustainable energy. This is not about politics; it’s about admitting that the risk of an accident at the nuclear power plant is simply too grave. Damage […]

Food, Fashion, and Family Planning: The Final Carbon Frontier?

HUFFINGTON POST 04/05/16 By Michael Shank Cutting greenhouse gas emissions from our personal carbon footprint will put all of us in some new, and potentially uncomfortable, situations as we move to more sustainable lifestyles. While it’s culturally acceptable to go green in the lightbulb and light transit categories, other conversations […]

Why Trump’s Foreign Policy Won’t Make America Great Again

MSNBC 04/02/16 By Michael Shank When it comes to foreign policy planning, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is right to introduce an era of unpredictability, which, according to Trump, will be his overarching modus operandi if elected. Just consider America’s security threats: Increased violence by non-state actors and heightened insecurity […]

Proof Nuclear Energy Is a Huge Security Risk

FORTUNE 03/08/16 By Michael Shank It’s time to rethink what constitutes “clean energy” Nuclear energy is not the answer to America’s necessary clean energy transition. It’s an expensive, dirty, and dangerous fuel, which is why seven electrical engineers at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) noted, last week, significant safety […]

Indian Point: Past Its Expiration Date

NEW YORK TIMES 03/07/16 By Michael Shank and Paul Gallay Ossining, N.Y. — LAST month, samples showed a spike in the amount of radioactive tritium being discharged from Indian Point Energy Center into the groundwater near our homes along the Hudson River. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo ordered several state agencies […]

Analysis: Progressive Policies Provide Answer for Sanders’ Foreign Policy Gap

MSNBC 2/10/16 By Michael Shank Bernie Sanders’ foreign policy — or apparent lack thereof — is not an oversight that’s unique to the presidential candidate. It’s representative of a pervasive problem within the progressive movement. Progressive elected officials in America are more often raised on domestic issues: lobbying on healthcare, […]

What the Flint Crisis Reveals About Inequality in the U.S.

TIME MAGAZINE 02/09/15 By Michael Shank and Justin Talbot-Zorn It isn’t just how much money people are making—it’s also what people are breathing, drinking and eating On Sunday, Hillary Clinton took leave from the New Hampshire campaign trail to address to a local church in Flint, Mich. Just a few […]

The NYC Security Risk That Candidates Aren’t Discussing

HUFFINGTON POST 1/29/16 By Michael Shank Americans are slowly, but surely, becoming more familiar with, and fearful of, acts of terror. “Terrorism” dominates the presidential campaign debates with few other policy topics getting such prominence. Yet with all of the front runners’ hometown familiarity with one of America’s most frequent […]