Izzy Smith-Wade-El
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?
Pennsylvania should take steps to restrict PFAs in consumer products. I would look to scientific experts in this field to weigh in on what those steps would best be, but believe strongly that we should protect Pennsylvanians from toxic substances.
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?
My district is majority people of color and given the history of the relationship with medical experimentation in this country, we know there are some big information gaps as well as some mistrust which negatively impacts some of my neighbors and constituents.
In addition to using my voice as a bully pulpit to advocate for their medical needs, I would also use my position to let them know that vaccines are safe and necessary. I also strongly support increasing community-based and home-based inoculation programs for common and necessary vaccine regimens including MMR, TDAP, and COVID vaccines. In Lancaster County, the proliferation of misinformation on the national level has led to decreased vaccination rates upon the plains communities who were previously being reached by community health workers who could vaccinate adults and children in those communities. I believe strongly that vaccines are most effective when they are available and encouraged by a trusted messenger.
One of our key tasks will be increasing access to vaccinations, bringing them all across the Commonwealth and creating programs that rebuild trust with communities rather than lecturing them or being condescending to them.
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?
Protecting workers will always be a key priority of mine, and in this work, I would want to hear from farm workers what protections they would like to see in their workplace as the people exposed to outbreaks in their industries. Our agricultural communities are a major cornerstone of Pennsylvania’s economy and our preparations for responding to outbreaks should be prioritized to meet that need.
We have experienced the shortages and rising costs that follow in the wake of an outbreak and know that Pennsylvania families cannot accommodate rising costs in their every day grocery needs that help provide nutrition for their families.
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?
While I am not opposed to nuclear energy, the Commonwealth must hasten its investment in renewals and diversifying energy and resources must be a priority for capitol investment now as energy costs for everyday Pennsylvanians sky rockets.
Further, I am a strong advocate for publicly owned utilities and would support efforts to make them possible for Pennsylvania families.
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?
I’m opposed to new data centers - they present dangers to our air and water, they drive up power costs, and their developers consistently fail basic transparency tests.
Where they’re already in development, we ought to demand: 1. that all associated labor be union labor; 2. that all costs associated with new power infrastructure and increased rates associated with their grid demand be borne by the developer or operator, not by residential consumers 3. that all costs associated with environmental restoration be borne by the developer or operator, not by residential consumers; 4. a transparent community benefit agreement.
I’m signed on to multiple pieces of legislation that would hold these data center developers accountable and give communities more agency.