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. Clean Water — Kalamazoo River had an extensive oil spill in it and the water still smells and it just became safe to boat in.
2. PFAS — Is in the ground from old paper mills that need to be cleaned up.
3. Solar Energy — 3 - Clean Power - There is a big disinformation campaign going around about solar power in Richland Township that heavy metals will be sinking into the land and ruining it for future uses.
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.
Revise or repeal portions of the law
Revise only because there is a part that says if energy demand goes too high they can opt out of it. With the data centers creeping in we need to make sure Consumers and DTE can't ask for them to come in and get out on a technicality.
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?
We should only allow wastewater to be used in these systems, not fresh water. Datacenters should also only be allowed if self sustaining in energy consumption.
However, we need to make sure that datacenters are protecting against infrasound. Which has health issues that need to be researched too.
The state legislature should also take away the tax incentives and ensure they are using local union jobs.
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?
Helping families get reverse osmosis systems in their houses so the water they consume is safer.
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
I'm a big proponent of Single Payer Healthcare and healthcare is only one aspect of a health society, good environments also contribute to good health.
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?
Absolutely, we should also be working to take these companies over to make these utility companies run as non-profit companies.
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?
Line 5 shouldn't be here at all. Under that bed it's going to break and be extremely hard to fix which will only lead to massive spills. This water is not only an extremely valuable resource, it's a spiritual place for our Native populations.
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.
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 support holding these companies accountable because it's the right thing to do. Endangering profit is the only language these companies speak.