National Analysis

With Time Running Out, Radical Action Needed on Climate

VTDIGGER 06/13/21 By Michael Shank This commentary is by Michael Shank of Brandon, communications director for the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance and an adjunct faculty member at New York University’s Center for Global Affairs. There’s been a lot of postponing on the climate front of late. Some postponing has been […]

Equity-Based Planning

RUTLAND HERALD 04/13/21 TIMES ARGUS 04/13/21 By Michael Shank and US Congresswoman Yvette Clarke President Joe Biden’s long-awaited American Jobs Plan has finally arrived, weighing in at $2.3 trillion in spending over 8 years. In today’s dollars, this is almost five times the new funding provided in President Obama’s 2009 […]

Our Infrastructure Is Racist. Biden’s Plan Seeks Justice | Opinion

NEWSWEEK 4/12/21 By Michael Shank and US Congresswoman Yvette Clarke President Joe Biden’s long-awaited American Jobs Plan has finally arrived, clocking in at $2.3 trillion in spending over eight years. In today’s dollars, this is almost 5 times the new funding provided in President Obama’s 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment […]

Political Disenfranchisement is Fueling Environmental Injustice

THE HILL 04/09/21 By Michael Shank Everyone in America deserves the right to clean air, clean water and clean environments in which to live. Achieving these basic human rights for all of us would be a major milestone in building an environmentally just and equitable society — and unfortunately, we’re […]

Protecting Federal Lands Should be a No-Brainer

THE HILL 03/19/21 By Michael Shank Undoing former President Donald Trump’s legacy of environmental damage and degradation — and his administration’s many regulatory rollbacks — has been high on President Joe Biden’s 100 days to-do list. The impressive lineup of environmental leaders appointed across energy, transportation, environment and interior departments […]

USDA Far More Open Now to Sustainability Practices

VTDIGGER 02/23/21 By Michael Shank This commentary is by Michael Shank of Brandon, communications director for the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance and an adjunct faculty member at New York University’s Center for Global Affairs. Since receiving President Joe Biden’s nomination for secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack is […]

The US is Ripe for Climate-Friendly Diets

THE HILL 02/23/21 By Michael Shank Since receiving President Biden’s nomination for secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack is indicating that he’s newly committed to a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that prioritizes sustainability, regenerative and climate resilient agriculture. It’s a welcomed shift from previous stints as […]

Electricity is Cleaner and Healthier

RUTLAND HERALD 12/26/20 TIMES ARGUS 12/26/20 By Michael Shank This month witnessed the launch of the first-ever “Gas Index,” which ranks American metropolitan areas on the leakiness of the gas supply chains that service their cities. This new index — of which Burlington ranks in the middle – takes into […]

A National Bipartisan Conversation on Racism

RUTLAND HERALD 08/10/20 By Michael Shank The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives and now needs bipartisan Senate support, is the bellwether for what’s possible in tackling systemic racism in America. The bill, which targets racial discrimination and excessive use of […]