Horace Taylor
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?
Policies that I would support would be to ensure the Environmental Protection Agency is properly funded to do their mission. Memphis appears to have become the epicenter of nationwide moratoriums on data centers buildout and operation because of unsafe, unregulated gas turbines operations, grey water disposal, and environmental noise and air pollution as a product or bi-product of operating the turbines. There are existing EPA guidelines that should be followed to ensure the health and safety of the citizens, especially those who residency is in close proximity to data-centers. Data-centers operations require millions of gallons of water to keep equipment operating at a safe, operating temperature; yet one must also be prepared to deal with, per regulations, spent water. Most cars have catalytic converters, surely gas turbines can install regulation-level air filters etc.
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?
I support the mission of the Department of Health and Human Services. Americans have the Constitutional “Right” to choose whether or not to be vaccinated themselves and as parents and guardians of young children in their care, they also exercise that right. When mass confusion or mass doubt is injected into the society, however, we must be prepared to accept and deal with the consequences thereof. As I recall a staggering, one million or more people in the U.S. were reported to have lost their lives from COVID-19. And yet the very authority person(s) who claim it a hoax, was given the precautionary solution(s). I would support policies that reached down to the local citizen level to make sure the scientific data and information actually reaches those whom may not be social media magnets or consumers of traditional television and radio broadcasts.
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?
The steps that I would take if I was elected to Congress, I would immediately begin to reestablish the Federal Emergency Management Agency; and push to ensure appropriate funding is provided. Further, as nature will unleash her mighty power and strength, I would push FEMA to conduct contingency planning and exercises so that the Agency will be better prepared to meet the weather-related catastrophe when it strikes. In the instance where only property damage is lost (and no human life nor major injures), the actual event/storm would serve to readjust the Agency’s contingency plan. FEMA should return to a more active or progressive stance in that FEMA would dispatch–as best predicted location–forward deployed team to be on the ground when the crisis hits, so that they will be able to immediate get to work assessing, recovering, and restoring the people and area to normalcy.
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?
Pardon my limited knowledge in this area but as I first read this question, here is where my mind went: Small Modular Reactors, quantum computing, and vertical takeoff and landing cars as priorities. I would prioritize refunding the Department of Education. I could research where these organizations (DOE, NIH, and NSF) receive their fundings but for the blooming young scientists, most will likely begin their formal education and development in a university. To prevent loosing such talent as it blooms, funding structures must be solidly in place, and working optimally. DOE has been in its current state for last than two years, I have no insight or firsthand information as to how well the state (TN) or any other state is managing and dulling out resources to prospective college students post the defunded DOE.
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?
More scientifically-minded citizens should run for public office - that would certainly began to breakdown the trust in science gap. Perhaps this is a sign of the times we’re living in. Rhetorically, was the public actually kept in the dark while DARPA was growing and thriving in the 20th century? By sign of the time, I mean under this current regime! Or is it the near 80 year human technological mind shift. My undergrad degree is in engineering technology with a concentration on computers and my graduate degree is in information technology, so that would necessarily mean that I may become a valued asset as a policymaker because of my formal education and the professional certifications (CISSP etc.) held within the fields.