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 Pollution — And its negative public health effects. Metro Detroit has among the highest asthma rates in the nation, largely due to ICE vehicle emissions along the I-75 corridor. I support policies to reduce greenhouse gas and fine particulate matter emissions by encouraging increased use of electric vehicles and public transit.
2. Utility Accountability — Reliability. It is no secret that DTE is one of the nation’s least reliable electric utilities. Furthermore, municipalities in my district, especially Royal Oak and Clawson, experience some of the most frequent outages and longest restoration times in DTE’s service territory. My constituents deserve a reliable power grid.
3. Water Infrastructure — The city of Clawson has long been plagued by burst water mains and flooded basements, caused by degraded water lines that are often over 100 years old. I believe the state must invest in long-needed repairs to our wastewater and stormwater infrastructure.
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.
I proudly voted for this law in 2023, and I would oppose future efforts to delay or weaken it. I am concerned that the state is not on track to meet these goals, partially due to resistance from Michigan's monopoly utilities and the growth of hyperscale data centers, so I would support taking action to strengthen the law’s enforcement provisions.
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 enact a robust framework for data center development, incorporating the projects’ impacts on Michigan’s environment, job market, and electricity rates, as well as the local communities they’re built in. This is why I proudly co-sponsored legislation, introduced by House Democrats, that would require hyperscale data centers to use project-labor agreements, pay their way onto the grid, use renewable energy and closed-loop water cooling systems, and invest in local community resources. Data center developers that are unable to or uninterested in meeting these standards should not be allowed to build in Michigan.
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?
While commendable attention has focused in recent years on PFAS pollution from industrial uses, less attention has been paid to the continued use of PFAS and other “forever chemicals” in consumer products. I introduced a bill this term that would ban companies from producing these products with asbestos-containing chemicals, benzophenone, butylated compounds, and other forever chemicals. By getting these dangerous chemicals out of products that Michiganders use every day, this legislation would improve public health in our state. While I do not expect the legislation to pass this term, due to the current Republican control of the State House, I plan to re-introduce it next term.
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?
I would support requiring the use of cumulative impact statements before EGLE approves new permits for polluting facilities in overburdened communities. Our state’s most underserved residents should not have to bear the brunt of pollution.
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?
We must pass legislation to rein in our unaccountable utility companies, which have gotten away with providing an inferior service at an outrageous price for far too long. In both of my terms in office, I’ve introduced legislation that would prohibit utilities from requesting compensation in rate cases for the outage credits paid to their consumers. I also believe that the state should transition to a performance-based ratemaking model where utility compensation is tied to service 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 support the construction of the pipeline, as long as it is surrounded by a protective tunnel to keep it in operation while protecting against potential leaks.
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, I would support such legislation. Safe drinking water is essential to human life, and no one should lose access to it because they’re unable to pay their water bill. It is a shame that water affordability legislation, introduced in the past two legislative sessions by Senate Democrats, has never made it to the Governor’s desk. I hope to vote for it next term to protect every Michiganders’ right to safe drinking water.
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?
I strongly support “polluter pay” legislation, and I’ve proudly co-sponsored it when introduced by my House Democratic colleagues in the current and previous legislative terms. Polluting companies should be responsible for cleaning up the messes they make. Under our current laws, these companies have no incentive to be good stewards of Michigan’s natural resources and public health.
Data center proposals have multiplied across Michigan since the spring, and it is by far the most common topic readers have asked candidates about. Would you support a pause on new hyperscale data center approvals until state guardrails on water use, noise, utility rate impacts, and local approval are in place? Please explain, including whether data centers should keep their state tax breaks, whether local communities should be able to reject them, and whether they should pay the full cost of the grid and water capacity they require.
Yes
I would support a temporary moratorium on hyperscale data center development until our state puts meaningful guardrails in place. These guardrails should, at a minimum, require hyperscale data centers to run on renewable energy, pay for the additional grid and generation capacity that they require, create good-paying union jobs, and earn the support of local residents. My district is an unlikely site for hyperscale data center construction, but I have no issue with local governments in rural areas enacting their own moratoriums. I proudly voted against the legislation creating sales and use tax exemptions for large data center developments - and I co-sponsored legislation this term that would repeal them - because I believe that the wealthiest corporations in the world do not need tax breaks.
Communities near heavy industry see frequent air quality alerts, wildfire smoke now adds unhealthy-air days statewide, and EGLE has limited staff to inspect facilities and enforce permits. Do you support stronger air pollution enforcement, such as higher penalties for repeat violators or emission limits on unhealthy-air days? What specifically would you do to protect vulnerable residents, including those in the most polluted zip codes, on those days?
The best method of protecting Michiganders from air pollution is by preventing it from occurring in the first place. As I said earlier in the questionnaire, Michigan’s environmental laws give polluting industries very little incentive to follow them. I would fix this by enacting much steeper fines for repeat violators, and by increasing EGLE’s enforcement budget to allow for more frequent and thorough inspections.
Michigan is already seeing more extreme heat, storms, and flooding, and households pay some of the highest electric rates in the Midwest for some of the least reliable service. What specific steps would you take in your first term toward the MI Healthy Climate Plan goals, and would you support community solar and expanded weatherization so residents can own or share in clean power and lower their bills?
I am a strong supporter of community solar agreements, having co-sponsored legislation in both of my terms in office that would allow Michiganders to participate in them. To meet our urgent climate goals without increasing residential utility bills, several reforms to the state’s utility model must be made. Along with community solar and performance-based ratemaking, I believe the state should require our utilities to utilize their existing grids more efficiently before resorting to building new, expensive generation systems. I would also consider reducing the disparity between commercial and residential electricity rates.
Federal cuts to EPA staffing, enforcement, and Great Lakes funding are shifting responsibility for air, water, and public health protection to the states. Should Michigan backfill that funding and enforcement, and how would you pay for it? What would you do to make Michigan's own environmental protections durable against future rollbacks?
Yes, Michigan should backfill the massive federal cuts to environmental protection measures. I would start by repealing the state’s archaic tax break on pollution control equipment, which has not been shown to actually reduce pollution, and which would increase annual state revenue by $300-400 million. I would also support codifying into state law the various environmental policies that the Trump administration has scrapped, such as the limits on power plant emissions implemented under President Biden and fuel economy standards implemented under President Obama.
Michigan's forests, wetlands, and public lands support clean water, wildlife, outdoor recreation, and flood protection, yet the DNR estimates nearly a billion dollars in backlogged capital needs. What are your top priorities for protecting these lands over the next term, including wetland and floodplain protection, groundwater withdrawals by bottlers, and native habitat, and how would you fund them?
Investing in natural resource protection now will pay dividends for generations to come. I believe that Michigan’s agriculture industry must begin paying for its fair share of upkeep for the water resources that sustain its existence. I would begin by increasing groundwater discharge permit fees and indexing them to inflation, but I would be interested in learning about more ways to address the DNR’s capital needs.
Key Environmental Votes
Selected by Planet Detroit from the Michigan Legislature’s 2025–26 session. Each title links to the official bill page.
Creates new state safety rules for dams on inland lakes, a response to the 2020 Edenville and Sanford dam failures that flooded Midland. A Yes vote supported the rules.
SB 947 · Sep 22, 2026 · Passed 96–7 · Official title: Natural resources: inland lakes; dam safety regulations; provide for.
Limits how many times the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy can ask an applicant to revise a permit application, part of a package to speed up permitting. A Yes vote supported the limit.
HB 5938 · Jun 25, 2026 · Passed 62–45 · Official title: Environmental protection: permits; revisions of permit applications; limit.
Requires the state to use the longest time period the federal Clean Air Act allows when it calculates a facility's emission rates for the state emissions inventory. Averaging over a longer period smooths out short-term spikes, so reported rates can come out lower. The state environmental agency and environmental groups opposed the bill; business and conservative groups supported it. A Yes vote was to require the longer averaging period.
HB 5557 · Jun 4, 2026 · Passed 58–50 · Official title: Environmental protection: air pollution; calculation of emission profile data; modify.
Rewrites the legal definition of a wetland so that fewer wetlands fall under state protection. A Yes vote was to narrow the definition.
HB 5536 · Jun 4, 2026 · Passed 57–51 · Official title: Natural resources: wetlands; definition of wetland; update.
Requires electric utilities to lower residential rates in line with the savings they got from the 2023 cut in business personal property taxes. A Yes vote supported the requirement.
HB 5879 · May 20, 2026 · Passed 57–44 · Official title: Public utilities: rates; reduction of residential rates in correlation to personal property tax savings; require.
The 2023 clean energy law requires utilities to reach 100% clean electricity by 2040 and 60% renewable by 2035. This bill eliminates those standards. A Yes vote was to eliminate them.
HB 5711 · May 12, 2026 · Passed 57–48 · Official title: Energy: alternative sources; clean and renewable energy standards; eliminate.
Prohibits cities, townships and counties from banning natural gas service or gas appliances in new buildings. A Yes vote was to block local gas bans.
HB 4486 · Dec 17, 2025 · Passed 61–42 · Official title: Public utilities: natural gas utilities; local units of government imposing a ban on the use of natural gas or installation of natural gas infrastructure; prohibit.
Requires counties to issue a 'brown alert' when sewage or E. coli reaches dangerous levels in local waters. A Yes vote supported the alerts.
HB 4427 · Oct 30, 2025 · Passed 94–10 · Official title: Counties: employees and officers; brown alert for dangerous levels of sewage or E. coli; require.
Defines advanced nuclear reactors in state law, part of a package to promote nuclear and hydrogen energy and training in Michigan. A Yes vote supported it.
HB 4127 · Oct 28, 2025 · Passed 85–19 · Official title: Energy: nuclear; definition of advanced nuclear reactors; provide for.
Raises the fees the state charges for environmental permits and programs under the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, to fund the agency's work. A Yes vote was to raise the fees.
SB 579 · Oct 2, 2025 · Passed 104–5 · Official title: Natural resources: other; certain fees in the natural resources and environmental protection act; modify.
Loosens state permit requirements for discharging wastewater into the ground. A Yes vote was to loosen them.
HB 4192 · Jun 12, 2025 · Passed 65–32 · Official title: Environmental protection: permits; groundwater discharge permit requirements; modify.
The bill defines a natural gas fueled reciprocating internal combustion engine (RICE) placed in service before the bill’s effective date to facilitate the retirement of coal-fired generation in the Upper Peninsula as a clean energy system for purposes of the act. A Yes vote supported the broader definition.
HB 4007 · May 7, 2025 · Passed 82–27 · Official title: Energy: alternative sources; clean energy system; expand definition of.
Michigan's 2023 clean energy law lets the state approve large solar, wind and battery projects that local governments reject. This bill repeals that power and leaves the decision to local zoning. A Yes vote was to repeal the state's authority.
HB 4028 · Apr 30, 2025 · Passed 58–48 · Official title: Energy: alternative sources; zoning exemptions for large-scale solar, wind, and energy storage facilities; eliminate.
Vote tallies are the Michigan Legislature’s roll calls as published by MichiganVotes.org. Votes chosen and summarized by Planet Detroit.
Campaign Money
- Elevate Michigan$12,250
- UAW MICHIGAN VOLUNTARY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE$4,000
- MICHIGAN BEER AND WINE WHOLESALERS STATE PAC$3,000
- MICHIGAN LEAGUE OF CONSERVATION VOTERS INC POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE$3,000
- AMERICAN FEDERATION OF STATE COUNTY AND MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES PEOPLE$3,000
Transactions reported to the Michigan Secretary of State through Aug 24, 2026 (Post-election 2026 campaign statement), summed for the 2025–26 cycle. Search the state database →