Steven Welzer
GreenQ1 Exposure to PFAS has been associated with weakened immune response and impaired liver and kidney function. In 2018, New Jersey passed a rule setting enforceable limits on PFAS in drinking water, one of the first states in the country to do so. Levels of two of the most harmful PFAS chemicals have since dropped by nearly 50% compared to 2006, when concerningly high levels were first found. Despite this progress, gaps persist, including soils, air pollution, and private wells, which have limited monitoring of but serve 10% of the state’s population. Do you think current policies related to forever chemicals have had a positive impact on NJ residents and what additions, changes, or different policies, if any, would you implement regarding managing PFAS levels in New Jersey’s air, soil, and drinking water? (Source - NJ Spotlight news)
I do believe current reform policies related to forever chemicals have had a positive impact on NJ residents.
Q2 In 2025, the National Institute of Health (NIH) awarded over $460 million for research grants and contracts to New Jersey universities and biotech companies, which directly supported over 5,800 jobs and $1.51 billion of economic activity in New Jersey. Additionally, New Jersey legislators have proposed a bipartisan bill that would repurpose tax revenue from tobacco sales as funding for cancer research. What policies, if any, do you suggest regarding maintaining current levels of federal support for health-related research and healthcare in NJ? Do you support a push towards channeling more of that financial support through state funding, and if so, through what policies?
I advocate increasing the levels of federal support for health-related research and channeling more of the financial support through state funding.
Q3 New Jersey’s school-based mental health professionals-to-students ratios remain much higher than recommended levels, even as 42% of high school students and 50% of middle schoolers in the state reported feeling sad and hopeless according to a 2023 study. Do you support allocating resources towards researching this topic, and what policies, if any, do you support to address youth mental health and well-being in the state? (Source - Advocates for children of New Jersey, Source - NJ Spotlight news)
I support allocating resources towards researching this topic. Additionally, I think that a single-payer “Medicare for All” healthcare insurance system would benefit youth by fostering a mental healthcare system that safeguards human dignity, respects individual autonomy, and protects informed consent.
Q4 New Jersey has a longstanding history of being seriously affected by natural disasters. Recently, heavy rainfall brought a significant amount of flooding that caused damage and loss of business in commercial and residential areas of NJ. What policies, if any, would you pursue to mitigate the effects of natural disasters, and what role would state scientists and flood experts have in the policies you propose to mitigate the effects of flooding?
Climate science recognizes that warming above 1.5ºC will significantly increase the potential onset of tipping points leading to consequences such as flooding. Reduction of fossil fuel consumption coupled with negative carbon emissions is now imperative. Toward that end Congress should create a cabinet-level Office of Climate Mobilization to coordinate all federal agencies and economic planning to meet climate safety and justice goals.
Q5 In 2025, only 26% of NJ students met proficiency in science on standardized tests. In cities such as Newark, this is as low as 7%. Furthermore the number of math and science educators in NJ is waning (9% decrease). What policies, if any, would you propose to increase access to quality STEM education across the state and to address the decline in evidence-based learning?
We must stop disinvestment in education and instead put it at the top of our social and economic agenda. Effective schools have sufficient resources. Too many of our teachers are overworked, underpaid, and starved of key materials. We should: . give K-12 classroom teachers professional status and salaries commensurate with advanced education, training and responsibility; . eliminate gross inequalities in school funding (federal policy on education should act principally to provide equal access to a quality education); . increase access to quality STEM education; . oppose efforts to restrict the teaching of scientific information and the portrayal of religious belief as fact; . educate students with courses in the environmental sciences, with a focus on the hands-on practice of Conservation Agriculture and emphasis on energy conservation; . include a comprehensive curriculum on climate change, biodiversity, and other planetary boundaries and environmental concerns.
Q6 To date, there are over 80 operational data centers present in New Jersey, four more proposed, and another currently under construction. Governor Mikie Sherill has recently signed the Data Center Fair Share Act, allowing centers to offset energy demands by paying for clean energy upgrades to local homes. What other policies and regulations, if any, would you support to assess and manage the impact of these data centers on the environment and infrastructure of New Jersey?
The rapid expansion of data centers, with their enormous appetite for water and power, can exacerbate extant environmental problems. Much of the electricity used to power data centers is presently sourced from fossil fuels, directly contributing to climate change. Data centers often place heavy burdens on local municipal drinking water and nearby watersheds, especially in water-stressed regions. As water evaporates to cool computer servers it concentrates and leaves behind pollutants in wastewater. Chemicals used for system maintenance, heavy metals from degrading pipes and excessive nutrients are then discharged to watersheds or to the surrounding land, leaching into the soil and contaminating groundwater and local wells. Cooling systems can release heated water and air back into the environment. Releasing warm water into local bodies of water, drastically changes ambient temperature, which disrupts aquatic ecosystems. So I support a moratorium out of concern about the ability to regulate the industry.