Bruce Fine
IndependentQ1 Data centers and the TVA grid (Energy / AI / Environment) – Data center electricity use in the Tennessee Valley has grown roughly sevenfold since 2020, and in the Memphis area, gas turbines powering AI data centers have raised air-quality concerns. What specific policies, if any, would you support to protect Tennesseans’ electricity bills, grid reliability, and air quality as data centers expand?
When I read TVA’s plans for the future I would have liked to have seen emphasis on expansion in photovoltaics and energy storage. I believe TVA could have a grand opportunity to lead the way to clean, renewable energy sources into the future.
I stand for a moratorium on data centers until strong legislation with real teeth, enforceable corporate consequences, is put in place to protect local communities, our power supplies, our aging and fragile grid, water resources and environment.
Q2 Childhood vaccination (Public Health / Trust in Science) – According to the Tennessee Department of Health, roughly 80% of Tennessee counties fall below the 95% kindergarten vaccination rate needed to prevent outbreaks of diseases such as measles. What policies, if any, would you support to manage vaccine-preventable diseases in Tennessee?
We need to remove the propaganda experts from our public health services and replace them with our finest experts in the field of science and public health. That can make policy and recommendations using proven scientific method and double-blind peer reviewed studies.I think we would be best off with the long standing requirement of childhood vaccinations for our children to attend public school as it has been for many decades until recently.
Q3 Flooding and extreme-weather resilience (Environment / Climate) – Two years after Tropical Storm Helene, East Tennessee communities are still rebuilding, and a 2026 winter storm left hundreds of thousands of Tennesseans without power. What specific steps, if any, would you take to prepare Tennessee’s communities, infrastructure, and power grid for severe weather?
Unfortunately warnings about global warming going back as far as the 1950’s were not heeded and adequate public policy not put in place to preserve and protect our planet and our ecosystems and we are now seeing the consequences of seriously elevated Co2 levels in our atmosphere. We need to be sure our public organizations such as FEMA are well run by experts, efficient and fully prepared to rapidly respond to any and every natural or manmade disaster that affects our citizens. FEMA needs to be working closely with state and local governments, public service providers and NGO’s wherever a disaster may strike.
Q4 Federal science funding and Oak Ridge (Science Funding / Jobs and Workforce) – Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the University of Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and other Tennessee institutions depend on federal research funding. What priorities, if any, would guide your votes on funding for federal science agencies such as the Department of Energy, NIH, and NSF?
Science, research and education funding needs to be seriously bolstered for us to be at the cutting edge of new and emerging technologies so that we are well prepared for jobs, research, innovation, and creativity, and can rank among the best in the world.
Q6 Trust in science (Policymaking Process / Trust in Science) – Distrust in science has been on the rise among the general public and policymakers, which has been associated with changes in federal funding for scientific research. In order to bridge this gap, how do you think scientists and policymakers can work together to strengthen their communication?
Once again, I will say the propaganda experts need to be removed from our once esteemed federal institutions and replaced with the finest scientific experts in our land. We need well funded efficient scientific research that relies on proven scientific methods to base policy on. Policy should not be created because one individual has a feeling about something and has a large following on social media. If I am to be a policymaker I will require the expertise of individuals who are genuine experts in their respected fields of study and research.