Environment Platform

Our planet is in trouble. This is not  just my opinion. The scientific evidence is clear, compelling, and irrefutable. The Trump administration has gutted the EPA at the federal  level and protection of the environment has fallen onto the shoulders of  state legislators. Sadly, the Republicans in Harrisburg refuse  to curb  greenhouse gas emissions, protect our drinking water, or provide the  proper oversight of polluters and hazardous infrastructure. They have chosen short term political interests over long term environmental realities.

During my years at MIT, I was fortunate to study, learn, and create alongside some of the brightest people I have ever met. I  am certain that we have the ability to solve the world’s most pressing  problems through a dedicated approach to research and development. It will be our investments in our students today that will bring tomorrow’s  climate innovators. However, we must act now to halt our disastrous trajectory and give our children and grandchildren the environment they need.

My platform is centered on three core goals: 

1. Empower our Local Leaders

As your State Representative, I will do all that I can to empower our local  organizers and elected officials in advancing sustainable practices including fighting for grants and infrastructure financing programs. I will ensure Harrisburg encourages instead of impedes homeowners, civic organizations and local governments that choose to act. 

2. Strengthen State Oversight

It is time for the state legislature to stand up for our right to clean air and water. I will join the Climate Caucus and fight to restore the capacity of the state’s Department of Environmental Protection, making sure that we have the inspectors and watchdogs that we need. I will vote to increase fines and penalties on polluters that will not only deter  future action, but cover the costs needed to repair the harm done. Where remediation processes have not been identified or proven, I will not hesitate to call for a moratorium on industry practices that are meaningfully detrimental to our air, water or soil.

3. Lead the Nation, Heal the World

We need investment in new technology, green businesses, research and the  education of tomorrow’s environmental scientists. Such an investment could not only place Pennsylvania in the forefront of our national  effort, but it would generate lasting economic benefit. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, we must provide the care and justice needed by  those that are negatively impacted by our environmental decisions. Our changing climate will cause or exacerbate health outcomes, negatively impact the quality and access to food, and, if left unchecked, generate millions of refugees forced to flee their homes in small towns and major  cities here in America and around the globe. 

Too many politicians seem to be in the pockets of companies that seek to exploit our natural resources like  coal, gas, oil and timber. We consume and refine these natural  resources to make our lives simpler in the short term, but our environment has paid the cost. Now we need to focus on our required resources,  the air we breath, the water we drink, and the soil where our children  play and where we grow our food. When I get to Harrisburg, I will be a  champion for those required resources.

In Harrisburg I will pursue a platform that will:

Empower Local Efforts 

• Support Ready for 100 and other municipal efforts to transition local government facilities to 100% clean and renewable energy
• Provide  financing to municipalities and school districts to implement  sustainability projects like solar expansion, EV charging  infrastructure 
• Support hazardous waste collection programs
• Support municipalities in curbing single-use plastics
• Protect our local and regional watershed protection and sustainability efforts 

Strengthen State Oversight 

• Hire more regulators to ensure air, quality, and hazardous material handling standards are met
• Increase fines for polluters to incentivize appropriate behavior and invest in remediation
• Streamline  policies, regulations and building codes to create standards and  sustainability incentives that are clear, observable and enforceable
• Call for a  moratorium on building, production, or extraction practices that  demonstrably harm our air, water, or soil without a defined remediation  process
• Update  Pennsylvania’s Alternative Energy Program Standard to strengthen clean  energy targets to promote the purchase of clean energy rather than  prioritizing dirty energy producers 

Lead the Nation, Heal the World

• Support the Cap & Invest proposal from PA Department of Environmental  Protection and/or participate in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
• Fund research and commercialization of advanced Negative Emissions, Carbon Sequestration & Carbon Utilization Technologies
• Provide  grants to attract, retain and grow businesses offering green technology  and jobs, including worker retraining and continuous learning
• Reforest the state’s abandoned mine lands
• Refresh recycling practices and technology to promote zero waste principles
• Develop a 21st Century Transportation Plan that is efficient, effective, sustainable, and funded
• Develop a  Climate Vulnerability Assessment to identify and quantify those impacted  by climate justice concerns and strategies to address them.