Scott Charland
DemocraticQ1 Q1 (Scientific Expertise and Governance): Scientific and technical expertise can inform decisions related to healthcare, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and emerging technologies. What role, if any, should scientific evidence and expert input play in your policymaking process, and how would you communicate scientific uncertainty or evolving evidence to the public?
Scientific evidence should play a MAJOR role in policymaking. Look at what happens when policy makers ignore science: climate crisis, measles outbreaks, food recalls, and energy insecurity to name a few. The costs of cleaning these problems up, instead of just following science from the beginning, is astronomical.
Q2 Q2 (Artificial Intelligence): Rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and large-scale data centers are increasing demand for energy and water infrastructure. Over 100 local Ohio communities have active moratoriums on data centers. What policies, if any, would you support to balance technological growth and economic opportunities with infrastructure reliability and environmental sustainability?
I support an indefinite moratorium on any new data centers. Additionally, I would like to see the tax breaks on existing data centers removed. These tax breaks have already cost Ohio 2.3 billion dollars in lost revenue. I would also like to mandate that existing data center power their operations through green energy sources, not natural gas which has led to Ohio opening up fracking in state parks and our only national forest. AI is a pandora’s box which needs to be heavily regulated and slowed down.
Q3 Q3 (Science Funding): Government research funding supports universities, medical centers, and technology development across Ohio and the nation. What role, if any, should the government play in supporting scientific research and innovation, and what outcomes would you prioritize when evaluating those investments?
The federal government should absolutely prioritize scientific research, and has done so at a respectable level until this current administration. Researching diseases, alternative energy, and sustainable agricultural practices would be a few of the areas to prioritize.
Q4 Q4 (Jobs & Workforce): Ohio has the ninth largest international student population in the U.S., the majority of which study in STEM fields.The federal government is pursuing large-scale changes to student visa approval, including increased visa denials, revoking existing visas, restricting travel from certain countries, and decreasing student visa durations. How, if at all, should Ohio respond to federal visa changes affecting international STEM students and researchers, and the resulting projected changes in the scientific workforce supply?
Ohio law enforcement agencies should not be allowed cooperate with ICE. America is at its best when it is a melting pot of individuals. Honestly, I am not sure what Ohio can do on a state level to offset our current xenophobic federal government.