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.
St. Clair County Landfill - this has been an ongoing concern due to noxious odors and possible ground contamination; PFAS Contamination - St. Clair County has a significant issue with this due to two former paper mills; Protecting the St. Clair River and Lake Huron -- this area contains a significant amount of the world's freshwater and needs continual monitoring and conservation given the large number of refineries on the shoreline and continued efforts to have nuclear waste disposal nearby
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 feel that 100% clean energy is idealistic and the timeline is reasonable.
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?
State government must set minimum standards for the construction of any data center. It must also provide support to municipalities in their decision making process. This is a pressing issue that needs to be treated as such.
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?
Establishing timelines and expectations for clean up is necessary. Additionally, there needs to be accountability to those organizations responsible for PFAS contamination and if done so with negligence or intent need to be held accountable
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
Air quality seems to be ignored and not taken seriously enough. Local health departments are not empowered to address this, only EGLE and the State responds slowly and inadequately.
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 need to move towards public operated utilities rather than being regularly accosted by for profit corporations.
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 is a critical part of District 64 as many of the pipes on line 5 terminate and run through our area. This needs to be addressed because despite the concerns these pipelines pose, they are necessary to some degree. We need to be certain that we are investigating all options and setting safeguards and expectations for Enbridge in place and enforce these expectations.
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?
Yes, clean water is a right
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
You pollute, you pay - very basic concept. If I can be fined for littering than commercial entities can be accountable for their actions as well - including criminal punishment if negligence or intent is present in the cause of pollution.