Lissa Brutus

Rising electricity costs are a kitchen table issue, and Delaware families should not foot the bill for the surge in demand created by AI data centers. Across the PJM region, recent capacity auctions have driven record price increases that flow straight to residential ratepayers. I support the framework advanced in the General Assembly to establish a separate, higher rate class for very large energy users (over 50 megawatts) served through Delmarva Power, so data centers pay for the transmission and distribution capacity they require rather than shifting those costs onto households. I would strengthen Public Service Commission authority to review these agreements for ratepayer protection and reliability, require large users to reduce consumption during grid emergencies, and direct a share of their payments into low-income energy assistance and clean energy programs. At the same time, we must expand in-state renewable generation, battery storage, and energy efficiency so new demand is met with new supply. Evidence, not industry pressure, should guide how we grow the grid.

Delaware is the lowest-lying state in the nation, and NOAA’s projections of increased tidal flooding are a warning we cannot ignore. I support planning and investing based on the best available science, including DNREC’s sea-level-rise planning scenarios, rather than outdated flood maps. That means funding nature-based solutions such as living shorelines, wetland and marsh restoration, and dune protection, all of which buffer communities at lower long-term cost than sea walls alone. We should update floodplain maps and building standards, require resilience in new development, and protect the roads, water systems, and schools that flooding puts at risk. I would prioritize resources for working-class and historically underinvested communities, which are often most exposed and least able to recover. As someone who has spent my career in land use and appraisal, I understand how flood risk shapes property values and generational wealth, and I will bring that lens to keeping Delaware families safe and their investments secure.

The sharp drop in how many 11th graders see risk in regular marijuana use tells us prevention has to evolve, especially now that adult-use cannabis is legal in Delaware. I support evidence-based, school-based prevention programs that give accurate information about the developing brain rather than scare tactics, paired with the mental-health supports young people actually need. Substance use is often a symptom of deeper stress like trauma, poverty, and isolation, so I would invest in the protective factors research shows work best: strong schools, after-school and mentoring programs, family engagement, and accessible counseling. I would sustain and expand prevention funding through the Division of Public Health, direct opioid-settlement dollars toward youth programming, and enforce strict limits on youth-targeted marketing and access to cannabis and vaping products. We should measure what works using tools like the Delaware School Survey and fund the programs that show results. Keeping young people healthy is both a public-health and an economic-opportunity issue, and I will treat it as both.