Jared Bitting
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?
I do believe that we need to place restrictions on PFAS chemicals in Pennsylvania. This is largely due to the fact that they can build up in our ecosystems and resist the natural process of degradation. The impact to wildlife and human life is very concerning.
KEYWORDS: ecosystem, impact, restrictions
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?
I believe our state Department of Health needs to do everything in its power to educate our communities that the MMR vaccine is indeed safe and effective. As a policy maker, we need to ensure that there are mandates in place, but I don’t believe that alone is enough. My priority would be to engage communities with transparency, respect, and evidence-based information while ensuring everyone has convenient access to vaccines.
KEYWORDS: evidence-based, mandates, effective, transparency
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?
Strengthening Pennsylvania’s response to the avian influenza will require our ability to do diagnostic testing and enforcing strict biosecurity measures. As a state we need to ensure the necessary funding and support for the health monitoring systems we have in place here in Pennsylvania. Finally, there needs to be interagency cooperation between the USDA and our own Department of Agriculture to make sure emergency outbreaks are efficient and effective.
KEYWORDS: diagnostic testing, biosecurity, cooperation
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?
There are clear environmental benefits to implementing more wind, solar, and hydropower energy production. However, at the same time fossil fuel and nuclear energy production supports thousands of jobs in our state. Finally, we need to set goals for more clean energy in Pennsylvania as well as funding to modernize our power grid to support these new sources.
KEYWORDS: modernize, jobs, clean energy, power grid
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 believe in smart and responsible economic growth, but not at the cost to public utility customers. Data center developers must be required to pay their own grid, power, and water costs. Any new projects or ones under development need strict rules on how they use resources. This information needs to be made available to the public before any project proceeds. Also, whenever necessary, these projects should rely on clean energy sources to power their needs. Finally, the state needs to ensure oversight to ensure all state guidelines are met.
KEYWORDS: oversight, economic growth, rules clean energy