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.
Clean water is a must. We depend on our water for our economy, our drinking water, and our recreation. Data center proliferation needs to be checked. These mega centers use huge amounts of our water and energy, causing prices to spike, without providing the communities with much in return. And flooding is a problem. We need to improve infrastructure and tighten up development plans.
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
Moving toward cleaner energy makes sense. We also have to make sure electricity stays reliable and affordable.
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?
States have to make sure data centers do not suck up resources, cause people to pay more for electricity, or negatively impact the surrounding neighborhoods. I think the state should put on hold any new large scale data center project until the industry can prove there is a need, the project will be a net positive to communities, and that promises made for tax breaks are kept.
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?
Install a responsible system and stick to it. When contamination is discovered, have a process in place that identifies the polluter, proposes a timeline, and makes those responsible to be part of the solution.
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
Regulators should look at the total impact on a community, not treat every new permit like it exists in a vacuum. That does not mean every project gets denied, but the full environmental and health burden should be part of the decision.
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. Too often rate hikes are approved without enough scrutiny. The latest request came just days after the last increase took effect. We are paying more, but we are not getting better service. Elected officials need to demand more accountability. If consumers are asked to pay more, they should get better service in return.
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 don't believe the current Line 5 should remain in the Straits. I also don't accept the argument that our only choice is to give Enbridge another 99 years. There is credible evidence that Michigan's energy needs can be met without Line 5 if we make an orderly transition. I would support moving toward that transition while making sure U.P. families who rely on propane are protected.
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?
We have to do better. We should not be shutting off water. We should be working with communities and water providers to be more proactive, have a better system in place for people with financial troubles, and identify resources that will help.
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
If a company contaminates a site, it should be responsible for cleaning it up. Taxpayers should not be left paying for damage they did not cause.