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. Data Centers — S Data centers consume massive amounts of electricity and water while creating relatively few permanent jobs. They can strain our grid, increase utility costs, and undermine Michigan’s climate goals.
2. Contamination — And Cleanup Concerns about contaminated soil at the former Northland Mall site highlight the need for stronger oversight of redevelopment projects. Residents deserve safe neighborhoods and transparent environmental cleanup.
3. Clean Drinking Water — Addressing PFAS contamination, and upgrade aging infrastructure remain critical priorities. Access to safe, affordable water is essential for public health and Michigan’s future.
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
Yes, I support maintaining Michigan’s 100% clean energy by 2040 law. Transitioning to clean energy is essential for protecting public health, addressing climate change, and creating long-term energy stability while reducing our dependence on fossil fuels.
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 support a moratorium on new large-scale data center development until Michigan establishes strong statewide standards to protect communities. Data centers can place enormous demands on electricity, water, and local infrastructure, so the state must require transparent environmental reviews, meaningful community input, clear limits on resource consumption, and assurances that residents will not bear the costs through higher utility bills or environmental degradation. The state should also require substantial buffer zones, such as large greenbelt parks, between data centers and residential neighborhoods to minimize noise, light pollution, and other impacts on quality of life.
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 accelerate PFAS cleanup and hold polluters accountable for the costs. Michigan families should not have to wait years for clean drinking water while taxpayers bear the financial burden of contamination caused by corporations and other responsible parties.
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
Communities that already face higher levels of pollution should not be asked to shoulder additional environmental burdens without a full assessment of the cumulative health and environmental impacts. Requiring these reviews is a matter of environmental justice, public health, and fairness.
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. Michigan residents should not be forced to pay ever-higher utility bills while utilities spend heavily on lobbying, increase executive compensation, and fail to deliver reliable service. Legislators must strengthen oversight, increase transparency, limit the influence of utility money in politics, and ensure that rate increases are justified by measurable improvements in affordability, reliability, and infrastructure.
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 presents a difficult challenge because we must balance protecting the Great Lakes with protecting jobs and energy reliability. I believe the health of the Great Lakes must be the top priority, and any solution must ensure the risk of a catastrophic spill is minimized. At the same time, we must work with labor unions and affected industries to protect workers and create a transition plan that supports good-paying union jobs while safeguarding one of Michigan’s most valuable natural resources.
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. Access to clean drinking water is a basic human right and a public health necessity. No one should lose access to water because they cannot afford to pay their bill, and I support policies that cap water costs for low-income households and provide strong protections against water shutoffs.
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 strongly support legislation that holds polluters accountable for cleaning up contaminated sites. Taxpayers should not be forced to bear the cost of environmental damage caused by private companies, and requiring polluters to pay for cleanup helps protect public health, restore communities, and discourage future environmental harm.