Planet Detroit Candidate Survey
What are the three most pressing environmental issues facing the communities you seek to serve? Please rank them in order of priority and briefly explain why you chose each.
1. Climate Change — Transitioning to 100% Clean, Renewable Energy We must urgently confront climate change by moving to 100% clean, renewable energy by 2050. Pollution from fossil fuels threatens the health and livelihoods of working families across Michigan.
2. Climate — Advancing Environmental Justice and Holding Polluters Accountable The most urgent environmental issue facing our communities is environmental injustice, which has allowed corporate polluters to contaminate air and water in Michigan for far too long—disproportionately harming Black, brown, and low-income communities. As a public health official, I’ve seen the health impacts firsthand.
3. Clean Drinking Water — Protecting Michigan’s Water—Especially the Great Lakes Safe, affordable water is the foundation of health and prosperity in Michigan. The Great Lakes are at the heart of our state’s identity, economy, and future, but face threats from PFAS contamination, invasive species, farm runoff, and aging water infrastructure.
Michigan law requires utilities to reach 100% clean energy by 2040. If elected, would you support maintaining this law, or would you support revising or repealing it? Please explain your position.
N/A This question does not apply to the election in which I am a candidate
While this specific law falls under the jurisdiction of the Michigan state government and I am running for the U.S. Senate, my position on our energy future is clear: I strongly support transitioning our economy to 100% clean, renewable energy . At the federal level, I will fight to make sure America runs on 100% clean, renewable energy.
More than two dozen Michigan communities are considering or have approved large-scale data center developments. These facilities can consume as much electricity as a small city and place significant demands on local water and energy infrastructure. What role should state government play in overseeing data center development, and what guardrails should the state legislature enact to protect communities where data centers are proposed?
The U.S. Senate should set clear national standards to guide data center development and protect local communities as these projects rapidly expand across the country. With utilities pushing for dozens of large-scale data centers—even as families face rising energy costs and unreliable service—it’s essential that federal oversight puts community interests first, not just those of corporations.
To protect communities where data centers are proposed, Congress should adopt strong Terms of Engagement that require:
-Enforceable, data center-funded commitments from utilities to improve energy reliability and modernize the grid -No rate hikes or extra costs for families—data centers must pay for their own energy needs -No clean energy loopholes—full compliance with state and federal clean energy laws, and requirements for new renewable energy generation to meet data center demand -Mandatory closed-loop cooling systems to safeguard local water resources and prevent thermal pollution -Full transparency and meaningful community participation in project approvals and benefit agreements -Comprehensive environmental impact assessments for each project, including climate, air, and water impacts -Binding Community Benefits Agreements that fund local infrastructure, grid improvements, and water system upgrades -Guarantees for good union jobs for local workers -Full legal enforceability for every commitment
PFAS contamination has been detected in drinking water, groundwater, and surface water across Michigan. Cleanup efforts are underway, but many affected communities are still waiting for action. What is the single most important step the officeholder in this position should take on PFAS in the next term?
PFAS contamination is poisoning our water and putting Michigan families at risk. As a doctor and public health leader, I’ve seen the damage these so-called 'forever chemicals' do to our health. That’s why I’m fighting for real accountability and tough enforcement of the Clean Water Act and the Toxic Substances Control Act. We need to give the EPA the power to crack down on PFAS as a class, not just one chemical at a time. I’ll push for strict federal standards to keep PFAS out of our drinking water and consumer products, and I’ll stand up to corporations dumping toxic waste into the Great Lakes and our communities. Holding polluters accountable is just as crucial as preventing contamination in the first place. Corporate polluters have poisoned our water, and they—not Michigan families—must pay for the cleanup. If we don’t act, this cycle of pollution will persist. That’s why I’m committed to ensuring these corporations are held fully responsible, not allowed to escape the consequences of their actions. In the Senate, I would champion legislation like the Polluters Pay Climate Fund Act, forcing them to cover the full cost of cleaning up PFAS.
Michigan residents in some communities face disproportionate exposure to air pollution, contaminated water, and industrial waste. Do you support requiring Michigan regulators to assess cumulative environmental and health impacts on overburdened communities before approving new permits for polluting facilities?
Yes
Environmental justice is inseparable from public health and racial equity. Communities of color and low-income neighborhoods have long borne the brunt of pollution and climate change, which I believe is a fundamental violation of human rights. In the U.S. Senate, I will champion legislation like the Environmental Justice for All Act and the Polluters Pay Climate Fund Act to protect frontline communities, hold corporate polluters accountable, and ensure clean air and water for everyone. As I have as a public health official, I will fight to strengthen air quality standards to account for the cumulative impact of multiple pollutants on vulnerable communities. After all, a child in Detroit breathing diesel exhaust, industrial particulates, and ozone simultaneously deserves a regulatory framework that reflects that reality.
Utility rate cases directly affect what Michigan residents pay for electricity and gas. DTE and Consumers Energy have requested frequent significant rate increases in recent years. Should elected officials play a greater role in holding utility companies accountable for rate hikes and rising energy costs?
Utility giants like DTE and Consumers Energy have long put profit ahead of people, exploiting working families and accumulating record wealth. Michigan residents are often forced to choose between essential needs—keeping the lights on or putting food on the table—while these monopolies propose projects that threaten to raise our bills even higher. Utility rate cases determine what families pay for electricity and gas, yet DTE and Consumers Energy routinely seek steep increases that are simply unacceptable. Elected officials must play a far more active role in holding these companies accountable for relentless rate hikes and escalating energy costs. We need genuine accountability and robust oversight to ensure that these corporations pay their fair share, rather than shifting the burden onto everyday Michiganders. So why haven’t our elected officials held them accountable? These utility companies have also used their vast resources to buy political influence, funneling money into lobbying and campaign contributions to protect their profits and weaken oversight. I’m proud to be the only candidate in this race who has never taken a dime from them—and to support the Michiganders for Money Out of Politics proposal, which would ban political contributions from regulated monopolies.
Enbridge's Line 5 pipeline runs through the Straits of Mackinac and carries crude oil and natural gas liquids between Wisconsin and Ontario. A proposed tunnel beneath the lakebed to house a replacement pipeline has faced legal and regulatory challenges for years. What is your position on the future of Line 5?
I support shutting down Line 5, which is putting our Great Lakes at risk and has the potential to destroy sensitive environmental and tribal sites. In the meantime, we need to make the line safer so long as proper care is taken not to disrupt the line itself or destroy sensitive environmental or tribal sites.
Drinking water is becoming increasingly unaffordable for Michiganders in both rural and urban areas, leading to water shutoffs. Would you support legislation that caps water bills for low-income Michiganders and adds shutoff protections?
I strongly support legislation that caps water bills for low-income residents and provides strict protections against water shutoffs. As your Senator, I will fight for a federal water guarantee to ensure that every family has access to at least 50 gallons of clean water per person per day—the basic minimum required to drink, cook, and bathe. Under this plan, water bills would be capped at 2% of household income, and we would establish ironclad protections against shutoffs for families who cannot afford to pay. In addition to championing a robust, nationwide water affordability program at the federal level, I will actively work alongside state-level lawmakers to help secure the votes necessary to pass the Michigan Water Affordability bill package. This is a fight I have led for years. During my time as Detroit’s Health Director, I forcefully opposed water shutoffs because they represent a public health crisis and a clear violation of human dignity. Afterwards, I worked alongside community organizations, activists, and local leaders to extend the moratorium on water shutoffs and push for holistic, long-term solutions to water affordability.
Michigan is home to more than 18,000 contaminated sites. Do you support or oppose legislation to hold polluters accountable for cleaning up these sites?
Support
I strongly support legislation to hold polluters accountable for cleaning up these contaminated sites. It is unacceptable that taxpayers and frontline communities are left paying the price for the toxic messes created by corporate polluters. In the U.S. Senate, I will fight for robust enforcement of the Clean Water Act to address toxic chemicals like PFAS, advocate to fully fund the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, and proudly cosponsor the Polluters Pay Climate Fund Act to force the largest fossil fuel giants to finance pollution remediation efforts.
I have a proven track record of fighting corporate polluters. When Marathon Petroleum sought to increase sulfur dioxide emissions in Southwest Detroit—a community already burdened by air pollution—I joined frontline neighbors at public hearings. Their firsthand accounts of health impacts shaped my advocacy, leading to a successful campaign that forced Marathon to spend $10 million of their own money to clean up their act and invest directly in the community.