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 — Updating regulations related to karst geology and groundwater protection – My district contains sensitive karst geology that can allow contaminants to move quickly through underground systems and impact residential wells and water quality. Many regulations and monitoring practices need to better reflect current science and the unique vulnerabilities of our region. Protecting drinking water must be a top priority.
2. Water Quality — Recreation, wildlife, and public health. Addressing nutrient runoff, improving water management practices, and protecting waterways are important to reducing long-term environmental and economic impacts.
3. Water Quality — Protecting our lakes and waterways – Our lakes are valuable natural resources that support ecosystems, tourism, recreation, and local communities. Protecting them means preserving water quality and ensuring future generations inherit healthy and sustainable environments.
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 would support following the science and making decisions based on data, long-term sustainability, reliability, and impacts on families and businesses. As it currently stands, the science supports continued movement toward cleaner energy solutions. I also believe we should balance environmental goals with affordability, energy reliability, and protecting jobs and economic stability for Michigan residents.
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 should play an active role in creating clear standards, transparency requirements, and environmental protections for large-scale data center development. Communities should not be left carrying the burden of increased energy use, water demand, or infrastructure costs without meaningful oversight and public input. I would support guardrails that require environmental impact assessments, protections for sensitive groundwater systems and local water resources, infrastructure accountability, transparency with residents, and ensuring projects do not shift costs onto taxpayers or working families. Development should be done responsibly and with the long-term health of communities in mind.
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 strengthening testing, monitoring, and accountability so contamination is identified quickly and addressed before it spreads further. Michigan families should have confidence that their drinking water is safe, and we should ensure that those responsible for contamination are held accountable while affected communities receive the resources and support they need.
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 support ensuring that the full environmental and health impacts on communities are considered before approving new polluting facilities. No community should carry a disproportionate burden of pollution, and decisions should be informed by science, public health considerations, and meaningful community input."
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?
Utility costs directly affect working families, seniors, and businesses, and there should be greater accountability and transparency when significant rate increases are proposed. Elected officials should help ensure that residents are receiving reliable service at fair costs and that the burden is not unfairly placed on consumers
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 do not believe the potential economic benefits outweigh the risk to the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes are critical to our drinking water, environment, economy, and future generations, and the consequences of a major failure could be devastating. I believe protecting our water resources must remain the priority, and I would not support taking unnecessary risks with them.
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. Access to safe drinking water is a basic necessity, and no family should lose access because they cannot afford it. I support improving affordability and reasonable protections for vulnerable residents
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
Polluters should be held accountable for the damage they cause and should not shift the burden of cleanup onto taxpayers or local communities.