Jose A. Lopez

Delaware should welcome innovation and economic development, but residents and small businesses should not be forced to subsidize the enormous energy demands of large-scale data centers.

I support requiring large energy users to pay the infrastructure, transmission, capacity, and reliability costs their projects create rather than shifting those costs to other ratepayers. Delaware has already moved in this direction through HB 233, and I support strong implementation of those protections.

I would also support requiring large data centers to demonstrate how they will address their impact on grid reliability before connecting, including demand-response agreements where appropriate. Projects creating substantial new demand should also be encouraged to add generation, storage, or other capacity to the grid.

Transparency is equally important. Communities should know the expected electricity demand, infrastructure needs, water use, environmental impacts, and potential public costs of major projects before decisions are made.

Technology can create jobs and investment, but economic development should not mean higher utility bills or a less reliable grid for Delaware families.

Delaware’s coastal flooding risks affect homes, businesses, roads, wastewater systems, and public infrastructure. I support using the best available science on sea-level rise and flooding to guide state and local planning before repeated damage becomes even more costly.

That includes regularly updating flood-risk maps, identifying vulnerable infrastructure, and prioritizing investments in drainage, stormwater systems, floodproofing, wetlands, dunes, and living shorelines where those approaches are effective.

I also support expanding technical assistance and resilience funding for municipalities, especially smaller communities that may not have their own engineering or grant-writing capacity.

For properties experiencing repeated severe flooding, voluntary acquisition or relocation programs should remain an option when adaptation is no longer practical, with fair treatment for homeowners.

Delaware should approach resilience as both an environmental and economic issue. Investing earlier in proven flood-mitigation strategies can protect communities, reduce repeated property losses, and avoid shifting even greater recovery and infrastructure costs onto taxpayers later.

Reducing youth substance use requires prevention, education, early intervention, and access to support.

I support age-appropriate, evidence-based health education that gives students accurate information about marijuana, opioids, vaping, alcohol, and other substances while building decision-making and coping skills.

Schools should also have stronger access to mental health services, screening, and connections to treatment when a young person is already struggling. Family engagement, mentorship, extracurricular activities, and strong school connectedness are also important protective factors and should be part of Delaware’s prevention strategy.

I support strict enforcement of age restrictions and protections against marketing cannabis, nicotine, or other regulated substances in ways designed to appeal to minors.

Finally, Delaware should continue using the Delaware School Survey and other outcome data to measure which programs actually reduce substance use. Programs that demonstrate results should be expanded; those that do not should be improved or replaced.

The goal should be to prevent substance use, intervene early, and help young people get support when they need it.