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 — Clean water is the foundation of healthy communities, and it must be our top priority. Residents in Courtland Township and surrounding areas have experienced firsthand the concerns and uncertainty that come with PFAS contamination. Every family deserves confidence that their drinking water is safe.
2. Data Centers — Development, and Protecting Rural Character District 90 encompasses a large amount of farmland, natural resources, and rural character. As Michigan experiences increasing interest in large-scale industrial and data center development, we must ensure growth is responsible and community-driven.
3. Protecting Natural Resources — Protecting Natural Resources, Lakes, Rivers, and Wildlife Habitat Protecting that character and the natural resources that make this region special is central to my work and my vision. As a member of the parks committee, I’ve been actively involved in efforts to develop and enhance local outdoor spaces, including work around the Annis Fish Hatchery Nature Preserve.
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 support maintaining Michigan's current clean energy goals because they provide a clear path toward reducing pollution, protecting our natural resources, and strengthening long-term energy reliability. As implementation moves forward, we must also ensure energy remains affordable and that growing demand from large industrial developments does not place undue burdens on local communities or infrastructure.
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 has an important role to play in ensuring that data center development is transparent, environmentally responsible, and aligned with the needs of local communities. While data centers can bring investment and jobs, they can also place significant demands on energy grids, water resources, and local infrastructure. Communities should not be forced to absorb those impacts without meaningful input and protections. I believe the legislature should establish clear guardrails before approving large-scale data center development, including:
• Comprehensive environmental and infrastructure impact assessments that evaluate energy consumption, water use, wastewater impacts, and effects on local natural resources. • Strong protections for groundwater and drinking water supplies, particularly in communities that have already experienced contamination concerns or water-quality challenges. • Meaningful local control and public engagement so residents and local governments have a voice in decisions that will affect their community for decades. • Requirements that developers contribute fairly to necessary infrastructure upgrades rather than shifting costs onto existing residents and taxpayers. • Transparency regarding energy demand and sourcing to ensure that large projects do not undermine Michigan's clean energy goals or create reliability concerns for households and businesses.
Michigan can support economic growth and technological innovation while also protecting the natural resources, rural character, and quality of life that residents value. State policy should ensure that data center development benefits communities rather than placing disproportionate burdens on them.
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 Michigan should take in the next term is to accelerate PFAS cleanup and remediation efforts while ensuring that the entities responsible for contamination are held accountable for the costs.
Too many Michigan communities have spent years living with uncertainty about the safety of their drinking water while waiting for remediation efforts to move forward. Residents should not bear the financial burden of contamination they did not create, nor should they be left waiting indefinitely for action.
As a legislator, I would support policies that prioritize cleanup funding, strengthen enforcement against responsible parties, improve transparency for affected residents, and accelerate the deployment of remediation projects in communities facing known contamination. Safe drinking water is a fundamental public health issue, and Michigan must continue to move with urgency to protect families, businesses, and future generations from the impacts of PFAS contamination.
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
The community should NOT bear a disproportionate share of environmental burdens simply because impacts are evaluated one permit at a time. Considering cumulative impacts helps protect public health while supporting responsible and informed development decisions.
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. Utility rate increases have a direct impact on household budgets and business costs, so greater oversight and accountability are essential. Michigan residents should have confidence that any approved rate increases are justified, transparent, and in the public interest.
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 Great Lakes are one of Michigan's most valuable natural resources and protecting them must come first. I support rigorous environmental review of Line 5 and believe any future operation or replacement should only proceed if it can be demonstrated that it will not pose an unacceptable risk to the Great Lakes, surrounding communities, or Michigan's drinking water.
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, safe drinking water is essential for public health and should be accessible to every Michigan resident. I support affordability programs and reasonable shutoff protections for low-income households so that financial hardship does not result in the loss of access to this basic necessity.
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
I support holding polluters accountable because the cost of environmental cleanup should be borne by those responsible for the contamination, not Michigan families and taxpayers. Accountability is essential to protecting public health, clean water, and our natural resources.