Elizabeth Moro
DemocraticQ1 PFAS chemicals are widely used in consumer products but have raised health concerns due to their persistence in the environment and humans, and some Pennsylvanian legislators are considering restrictions on its use, such as in House Bill 2145. Should Pennsylvania restrict PFAS in consumer products? What scientific evidence would you use to inform your decision?
Yes. Pennsylvania should restrict PFAS in consumer products, and House Bill 2145 is a good place to start. These chemicals don’t break down. They build up in our bodies and in our water, and the CDC finds them in the blood of nearly every American it tests. The National Academies, the C8 Science Panel’s work with families in Ohio and West Virginia, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer have tied PFAS exposure to higher cholesterol, weaker immune response, lower birth weight, and kidney and testicular cancer.
I want science to shape the details, like which products are covered and which uses are truly essential. The evidence is strongest for drinking water and workplace exposure, and less certain for absorption through the skin. But when a chemical this persistent shows up in baby products, cosmetics, and menstrual products, and safer options exist, we shouldn’t keep adding it.
As a small business owner, I know fair timelines and clear rules matter. I’d give businesses a reasonable transition period and work alongside them to make the change.
KEYWORDS: PFAS, Prevention, Consumer Safety, Public Health
Q2 Measles vaccination rates in Pennsylvania have declined in recent years, from 95.5% in 2020 to 92.5% in 2025. At the same time, measles outbreaks have emerged across the state, with 62 confirmed cases in PA in 2026. As a policymaker, how do you approach engaging with communities that have concerns that center on infectious disease outbreaks and vaccine safety, and what policies, if any, would you support related to these issues?
Keeping our communities safe comes first. With over 1,000 measles cases in Pennsylvania this year, this is not abstract. Measles puts infants, cancer patients, and others who can’t be vaccinated at real risk, and every vaccinated neighbor helps protect them.
I also know that vaccination is a decision that families make with their doctors. Most parents with questions are not against science. They are worried about their kids, and they deserve to be heard. My job is to make sure they have the reliable information and easy access they need to choose well.
So I’d start by listening, the way my book, The Civil Graces Project, teaches us: assume good faith and treat people with dignity, even when we disagree. I’d support funding for local health departments to offer free clinics, including evenings, weekends, and mobile sites for rural families. I’d bring in trusted local pediatricians and nurses to answer questions honestly and with science, and make sure families get clear, timely information when an outbreak is near their school. Trust takes time to build, but it is the strongest protection a community has.
Sources: PA Department of Health measles update, 1,078 cases
KEYWORDS: Vaccinations, Public Health, Community Wellbeing
Q3 There have been avian influenza outbreaks in Pennsylvania, with potential impacts on poultry and dairy operations, both industries that provide billions of dollars of economic value to the state. What policies, if any, do you support to strengthen the state’s preparedness and outbreak response? Are there specific strategies you would prioritize to protect farm workers, agricultural communities, and the broader public?
I’m the granddaughter of farmers, so I know what a flock or a herd means to a family. It’s their livelihood, and often generations of work. Avian flu has hit Pennsylvania’s poultry farms hard, and we should be prepared to keep our farms protected.
I’m still learning the details, so I wouldn’t arrive with a one-size-fits-all plan. I’d start by sitting down with farmers, farm workers, veterinarians, and public health experts and asking what they need. In general, I support strong testing and early warning, fair and timely help for farmers who lose animals, and protection for the people working closest to them, with clear information they can trust. State agriculture and health officials should work closely together and keep the public informed so people know when there’s a real risk and when there isn’t.
Solutions work best when the people living with the problem help shape them.
KEYWORDS: Avian Influenza, Preparedness, Farm Communities
Q4 Pennsylvania is the nation’s second-largest producer of natural gas and nuclear energy, as well as the third-largest producer of coal, per the Energy Information Administration. In contrast, PA currently ranks 45th in the country in terms of wind, solar, and hydropower energy production. How do you think these energy sources should be distributed across PA’s energy production portfolio, and what policies, if any, would you support to facilitate this?
Pennsylvania has powered this country for generations, and I’m grateful to the workers and families behind that. But we can’t rely only on fossil fuels, and ranking 45th in wind, solar, and hydropower tells me we’re leaving opportunity on the table. I want a more balanced mix, with much more solar, wind, and hydropower, and a serious look at the next generation of nuclear energy. It’s clean and reliable, and Pennsylvania has the expertise. (My son is studying nuclear engineering, so I hear how much the field is changing.) Any path forward must put safety, waste storage, and local voices first. Our Constitution guarantees clean air and pure water, and that promise should guide these choices.
I’d restore access to solar for families hit by recent federal cuts, and protect a homeowner’s right to use solar power. I’d support HB 109 to identify communities facing the most pollution, and make better use of the grid we already have to lower electric bills. Rising demand from data centers shouldn’t land on ratepayers, so I’d support regulating them, with development decisions staying close to local communities.
KEYWORDS: Renewable Energy, Affordability, Clean Air and Water
Q5 Pennsylvania has proposed more reporting, utility oversight, and zoning guidance for large data centers, along with shifting some generation, capacity, and reliability costs onto data center developers rather than ordinary ratepayers. How should the costs and benefits of large data center development be divided between developers and the public, and what requirements, if any, would you support on power, water, and public reporting before a project moves forward?
Developers should pay their own way. If a data center needs new power plants, transmission lines, or water systems, those costs belong to the company, not to families already stretched by electric bills. I support the effort to move those costs off ordinary ratepayers, and I’d want it written into law. The public should get real, lasting benefits in return, not promises that fade once the project is built.
Before a project moves forward, I’d support clear requirements: an honest, independent look at how much power and water it will use and who pays for it, protection for local water supplies and open space, and public reporting on energy and water use once it’s running. Communities should also have a real voice, with public hearings and local control over zoning, because the rights of the people who live there must be protected.
Technology is going to keep growing. My job is to make sure growth doesn’t come at the expense of our neighbors, our water, or our wallets.
KEYWORDS: Data Centers, Ratepayer Protection, Transparency