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. Air Quality — Asthma rates are alarmingly high in the metro Detroit area.
2. Climate Change — What we once called "hundred year storms" are now occurring more frequently due to climate change and inadequate stormwater management is causing flooding and sewage contamination.
3. Clean Drinking Water — Contamination - old infrastructure and lead service lines
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 was proud to be in the Legislature and vote for Michigan’s 100% clean energy by 2040 law because I truly believe it was the right thing to do for our future. This law will help create good-paying union jobs, protect our environment and public health, and build a more reliable energy system for the next generation of Michiganders.
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?
The state should absolutely play a role in overseeing data center development so communities aren’t left dealing with higher energy costs, strained infrastructure, or environmental impacts on their own. As these projects grow, we need clear guardrails around energy and water use, strong local input, and accountability to make sure companies follow through on promised jobs and investment.
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?
We should pass the legislative package (House Bills 5890-5898) introduced by my colleagues earlier this year that requires stricter regulation and public transparency. The bills focus on banning PFAS in everyday products, providing relief and grants for contaminated farms, establishing strict biosolid testing standards, and improving community notification and response.
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?
The legislature should definitely play a larger role in utility oversight. We should pass legislation that prohibits utilities from raising rates unless they meet strict state standards for power restoration and grid reliability.
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 oppose the continued operation of Line 5. A rupture would be absolutely catastrophic, triggering an environmental disaster in the Straits of Mackinac and dealing a devastating blow to the region's tourism-driven economy.
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'm a sponsor on a package of bills that caps water bills for low-income residents and establishes robust shutoff protections. Water is a human 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
If you pollute, you pay to clean it up. Taxpayers shouldn't be on the hook.