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. Data Centers — S- I am in the just say no crowd.
2. Clean Water — Water conservation- my district is a mix of tourism and agriculture. Both require a reliable clean water supply PFAS need to be addressed as well as water consumption
3. Clean Energy — Energy reliability and affordability- continue to support our diversity in our energy portfolio focusing on renewable energy
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.
Maintain the current law and timeline
I think that without the increased demand that data centers would create we are entirely capable of reaching our renewables goal.
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?
I am against data centers. These are large bright and noisy buildings that suck up Resources. The technology in them will be obsolete in a couple years, leaving communities with electronic equipment that needs replaced and recycled. It’s bad for wildlife and humans. There is no direct net benefit
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?
Regulating clean up in a common sense fashion that does not leave extraordinary amounts of land dead.
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
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?
YES we need to quit passing the cost burden for industrial and commercial energy supply to residential customers
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?
It is one of several lines going throughout the state. Passes underground in my district. Most people don’t know it’s there until They come knocking at the door needing to access property to do maintenance. It’s a complicated issue that needs to be addressed with the safety of our environment in mind.
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?
Absolutely. It also needs to be a year round program not just a winter months thing
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 was taught as a child, you make a mess, you clean it up. That should apply here as well