Lisa Borowski
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 am a co-sponsor of House Bill 2145 and fully support the provisions to eliminate the use of PFAS in everyday products.
I have also supported legislation to remove PFAS from clothing, specifically protective gear for firefighters and to ban the use in firefighting foam (I’m a co-sponsor of House Bill 1261). I believe scientific evidence from environmental experts (US EPA, PA DEP, Nature Conservancy, ECOS) coupled with healthcare experts (CDC, NASEM) and healthcare professional organizations (ACOG, AAP, AAFP) more than provide the evidence-based information which detail the negative effects of PFAS chemical.
KEYWORDS: Negative Effects, Evidence-based, Eliminate
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?
It is important to understand why people have lost faith in the medical and scientific communities when it comes to vaccines. I think the best way to do so is to dig in and try to understand the concerns and address those one by one.
I think we have proven a mandate for people to do something only makes them more skeptical and distrustful. I think the best thing is also to have people talking to people. Not elected leaders telling people what to do. It might take time, but I think we need to identify the trusted individuals in the communities and provide them with the factual information to disseminate.
We also need to find the local stories which bear out the research and highlight the successes or, sadly, the bad outcomes.
KEYWORDS: Understand, No mandates, Facts
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 supported poultry technician licensing reform to try and get more inspectors on the ground to assist in addressing the outbreaks and make sure current regulations are being followed and enforced.
We need to make sure there is a focus on biosecurity and ensure that whether commercial or backyard, all poultry operations are registered. We need to invest more dollars in making sure there is broad awareness of the dangers of avian flu and that those in the business are following standards to help prevent the spread. More people committed to this effort would be helpful.
KEYWORDS: Inspectors, Awareness, Enforcement
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?
I believe we need to expand our use of green energy and fully integrate it into the electrical grid. We will never be able to meaningfully reduce our dependence on fossil fuels if we don’t invest in green infrastructure and prove it can help offset the need for fossil fuels.
As a member of the House Blue-Green Caucus I have supported geothermal and Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), Clean Manufacturing, Battery Storage and Solar Warehouses, Solar for Warehouses and Solar for Schools. In addition, I support House Bill 503 – Pennsylvania Climate Emissions Reduction Program.
KEYWORDS: Green energy, Expand, Integrate
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?
We need to make sure our local communities have all the resources and tools they need to make decisions regarding data centers. In PA, development decisions are locally controlled, and they need to have strong legislation in place to make legally defendable decisions consistent with the desires of their communities.
I fully support intensive vetting of these projects, complete transparency on the part of the developer, and strong local legislation to help elected leaders make legally defendable decisions if those decisions are challenged in court.
KEYWORDS: Transparency, Legally Defendable, Local Control