VTDIGGER 12/06/22 RUTLAND HERALD 12/08/22 TIMES ARGUS 12/08/22 CALEDONIAN RECORD 12/15/22 BRATTLEBORO REFORMER 12/20/22 By Michael Shank This commentary is by Michael Shank, a resident of Montpelier. Here’s the only time I’ll ever utter the following phrase: Vermont should be more like Alabama and Arkansas, Tennessee and Texas, and Missouri […]
BRATTLEBORO REFORMER 11/03/22 VTDIGGER 11/09/22 By Michael Shank This month, I was asked to investigate “Why this governor doesn’t care about working aged people?” And by governor, they meant Vermont Gov. Phil Scott. That was the question posed to me, verbatim. And while I had some initial thoughts in response […]
BENNINGTON BANNER 09/15/22 BRATTLEBORO REFORMER 09/15/22 RUTLAND HERALD 09/17/22 TIMES ARGUS 09/17/22 By Michael Shank The environmental community scored a much-needed win recently in the Inflation Reduction Act, which became law last month. And, taken in context, much of that fanfare is warranted given the U.S. Congress was at a […]
BRATTLEBORO REFORMER 08/10/22 TIMES ARGUS 08/13/22 RUTLAND HERALD 08/13/22 By Michael Shank With Indonesian islanders suing cement producers for climate damages recently, buildings are getting much-needed attention for their carbon-heavy footprint. The built environment generates nearly 50 percent of annual global emissions, which is why efforts in Vermont to weatherize […]
BRATTLEBORO REFORMER 07/12/22 By Michael Shank Over the July 4th weekend, a resident of a town in Vermont posted a picture on social media of Governor Phil Scott walking in a parade and said that Vermont has a great governor, and that Scott is one of the good Republicans and […]
BRATTLEBORO REFORMER 10/01/21 By Michael Shank and US Congressman Raul Grijalva No matter your politics, you’re seeing the harmful impacts of climate change and continued reliance on fossil fuels all around you. Just this summer, we’ve seen the surface of the ocean on fire in the Gulf of Mexico, record-setting […]
BENNINGTON BANNER 09/14/21 BRATTLEBORO REFORMER 09/14/21 By Michael Shank This summer, in an online report of “America’s Best Places to Live in 2021,” which ranked 10 U.S. states as “America’s most welcoming,” Vermont ranked first. The state’s impressive COVID-19 response, and strong public health spending, boosted its spot. But what’s […]