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 Drinking Water — The three most pressing environmental issues facing Michigan are threats to clean, affordable drinking water, rising energy costs driven by outdated systems, and pollution from unaccountable corporate actors.
2. Clean Water — Michigan is surrounded by twenty percent of the world’s fresh surface water, yet aging infrastructure and PFAS contaminations continue to threaten what should be our greatest asset. No child should grow up without access to clean water. As governor, I’ll modernize our infrastructure, protect our Great Lakes, and hold anyone who abuses or pollutes our water sources accountable.
3. Clean Energy — At the same time, rising utility costs are putting pressure on families who should not have to choose between putting food on the table and keeping their lights on. The solution is simple: hold utilities accountable and invest in clean energy grids that will help to lower costs significantly.
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’m really proud of the work that led to Michigan leading many other states in setting clear standards and goals that make our state ahead of the curve in advancing towards a more affordable, reliable, and clean energy future. This is the right direction for Michigan. It positions our state to lead in clean energy manufacturing and innovation while reducing pollution, protecting our water and health, and driving down energy bills. The Clean Energy and Jobs Act starts at the local level and incentivizes municipal leaders and property owners to reach consensus. It also streamlines the permitting process to prevent local bureaucrats from overriding individual property rights. As governor, I’ll make sure local leaders have a seat at the table when it comes to projects in their own communities and that we work together with labor, policy experts, and business to do this right. If done right, this law puts Michigan in a position to lead the nation: expanding clean energy, strengthening grid reliability, and lowering costs for families at the same time. My job as governor will be to make sure those promises are fully delivered in practice, not just on paper.
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 want to be crystal clear: If any data center wants to come to Michigan, they will have to do right by Michiganders. We should always welcome innovation and jobs to our state, but we must do so in a transparent way without allowing companies to harm our environment, abuse our water, or drive up energy costs. When it comes to data centers, Michigan must enact clear, strict, enforceable guardrails to ensure they only move forward if they transparently commit to delivering well-paying union jobs without harming residents through higher utility bills or excessive water use.
Data centers must help power Michigan’s clean energy future with new investment that strengthens the grid, supports affordable energy, and ensures families and small businesses aren’t burdened with rising costs. My plan includes several major elements: Public hearings to ensure projects do not go through without residents having the opportunity to share their concerns. Transparency and disclosure reporting to ensure no backdoor deals that exclude communities. Requiring developers to prove prior to construction that the data center will not abuse natural resources – from water to land – and it will not drive up energy costs for Michiganders. Data centers bear the cost of additional energy usage. Not the consumer. Union contracts that ensure the creation of well-paying 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?
The single most important step is to fully fund PFAS remediation and water system upgrades by holding polluters accountable and ensuring families aren’t left to pay the price. Some of the biggest threats to our Great Lakes and water supply link back to unaccountable bad actors and outdated infrastructure, which is why accountability must be the priority. As governor, I’ll hold polluters accountable and take action to stop the toxic runoff and contamination that threatens our health, tourism economy, and natural resources. Michigan must make clear that corporations will be held responsible for the PFAS contamination they’ve caused. At the same time, we must modernize our pipes and water infrastructure to ensure clean, safe drinking water for every community. The future of Michigan’s economy and our quality of life are inseparable from protecting our water.
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
Some communities – often low-income and communities of color – are forced to absorb the impacts of pollution from all sides while corporations and corrupt politicians face little consequence. As governor I’ll make sure no community is pushed past the breaking point by yet another polluter moving in. I’ll bring community voices into the process early and ensure pollution data, health impacts, and accountability measures will be accessible to all.
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?
Michigan pays some of the highest heat and electricity bills in the nation while residents suffer through grid failures and power outages. This is unacceptable. As governor, I will hold bad actors accountable instead of allowing them to raise rates and neglect improvements to our power grid. Because when storms knock out power for days even as your rates go up year after year, there must be consequences. That’s why I will stand with the people struggling to pay their bills, and use every tool I can to drive down those costs.
I’m proud to be the only gubernatorial candidate out with a plan to tackle energy costs. Read more:
Expand the Ratepayer Bill of Rights to ensure fair compensation when power goes out, ban political contributions and lobbying from utility monopolies, and prevent providers from unjustly cutting off service to struggling families. Create comprehensive payment plans to help Michiganders pay back their bills without the constant threat of disconnection and expand protections against winter shutoffs for vulnerable households. Strengthen the Michigan Public Service Commission's authority to hold utilities accountable, with enhanced enforcement powers and transparent rate-setting processes that prioritize ratepayers over shareholders. Require full transparency and public input on all data center projects statewide by mandating complete disclosure of energy demands and infrastructure costs, establishing mandatory public comment periods before approving any data center contracts, and extending consumer protections across all utility territories to prevent utilities from bypassing public oversight. If more electricity is needed, the corporation must prove they will cover the burden of those costs so that residents won’t see an increase in their rates. Expand prevailing wages and create well paying union jobs in Michigan's energy transition, ensuring that new jobs and expanded career opportunities are a central part of building our energy future. Accelerate the transition to renewable energy by expanding wind and solar production in Michigan, creating affordable energy sources that reduce fuel costs and price volatility for families.
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?
The primary pillars of our campaign for governor include driving down costs, increasing well paying union jobs, ending corruption in Lansing, and making Michigan a safe place for anyone to call home. That work requires us to be mindful stewards of our natural resources, including our Great Lakes. Part of that means requiring that any construction be done by highly skilled union workers, abiding by strict environmental standards, and that companies are held accountable to ensure the pipeline is maintained and 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?
I support legislation to keep water affordable and prevent shutoffs, because no one should have to choose between paying their water bill and meeting basic needs.
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
For too long, corporations have not faced consequences when they pollute our water and air, and taxpayers are left footing the bill for the mess. I support legislation to hold polluters accountable for cleaning up contaminated sites and ensuring they pay for the pollution they cause and the cleanup required. As governor, I’ll hold polluters accountable and take action to stop the contamination that threatens our health, economy, and natural resources.