Robert Bahnsen
DemocraticQ2 Delaware’s electricity is delivered through PJM interconnection, the regional grid operator for the mid-atlantic. Across the PJM region, electricity demand is rising in part due to large-scale data center development. What evidence-based policies, if any, would you support addressing the effects of AI-driven data center growth on electricity costs and grid reliability for Delaware’s residents?
The first call to action is a moratorium on hyperscale data centers - though I prefer we ban them outright. If data centers do come to Delaware, we need to do two things to help blunt electricity cost increases. First is investing in battery technology. Texas was able to minimize energy cost increases by charging battery farms during off-peak hours - we should do the same. Next, we need to consider our role as a net electricity importer and start investing in electricity generation in Delaware, so we are less reliant on generation from our PJM partners.
Q3 Federal agencies including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) project that Delaware’s coastal communities face increasing risk of tidal flooding in the coming decades. What evidence-based policies, if any, would you support to help these communities respond to increased coastal flooding risk?
Climate change is the major battle of our generation and the next. Cutting greenhouse gas emissions is still important, but we have missed our window to have a significant impact on blunting future environmental disaster. Climate resilience will require interstate cooperation, review of building codes, improving infrastructure including our bridges, restoring our wetlands, and investing heavily in climate science and innovation.
Q9 Delaware funds youth substance-use prevention programs through the Division of Public Health and the state budget. According to the 2024 Delaware School Survey, 26% of Delaware 11th graders perceive great risk in regular marijuana use, down from 50% in 1999. What evidence-based policies, if any, would you support to address substance use among young people in Delaware and ensure drug usage decline?
As a physician, I believe in evidence-based medicine and data-driven and pragmatic policy. Parents and their children need to know the truth about substance use - and we need to be open and honest as a society about the steps necessary to advance recovery, which includes investment in mental health programs and improving the social and economic outlook of our communities.