Kyle Palmer

Artificial intelligence presents both tremendous opportunity and real challenges. I understand why people are concerned about its effects on jobs, education, privacy, and security. Those concerns deserve thoughtful public policy, not dismissal.

AI is also driving unprecedented demand for data centers. Simply saying “no” will not stop that demand—it will only move investment somewhere else. My priority is ensuring communities receive real benefits if these facilities are built. That means protecting existing ratepayers, requiring responsible use of water and land, and ensuring companies invest in local infrastructure, schools, emergency services, and the community tax base.

The state also has a role to play. Smaller communities often lack the legal, technical, and negotiating resources needed to evaluate complex projects on equal footing. Washington should provide model agreements, technical expertise, and independent support so every community can negotiate from a position of strength.

This demand also creates an opportunity to accelerate advanced nuclear technologies, including small modular reactors. My perspective is informed by conversations with local residents, utilities, farmers, educators, and technology leaders. We should embrace innovation while ensuring it strengthens—not overwhelms—the communities that host it.

KEYWORDS: Community benefit, Transparency, Energy abundance, Community impact mitigation

Washington’s environmental investments should focus on projects that deliver measurable, long-term benefits for both our natural resources and our communities. My priorities include protecting water resources, improving watershed health, reducing wildfire risk through better forest management, and supporting research into advanced nuclear energy and other technologies that provide reliable, low-carbon power.

As our state grows, we must also invest in water infrastructure and conservation so agriculture, communities, and new industries can thrive together. Environmental stewardship and economic development should not be competing goals.

When setting priorities, I believe decisions should be driven by sound science, local expertise, and measurable outcomes—not politics. We should fund programs that demonstrate real results, regularly evaluate their effectiveness, and be willing to adjust when they are not meeting expectations.

The Mid-Columbia is uniquely positioned to lead in clean energy innovation, agriculture, and environmental research. If we make smart investments today, we can leave future generations cleaner water, a more reliable energy system, stronger natural resources, and an economy that continues to provide opportunity.

KEYWORDS: Sustainability, Innovation, Accountability

Science literacy today is uneven. Students have more access to information than ever before, but AI and social media make it increasingly difficult to distinguish credible evidence from misinformation. That makes scientific literacy more important than ever.

K-12 education should emphasize not only scientific knowledge, but the scientific process—asking questions, testing ideas, evaluating evidence, and changing conclusions when new information emerges. Those habits build critical thinkers, not just good test takers.

We should also be thoughtful about who shapes educational priorities. Industry partnerships are valuable, but public education should prepare students for lifelong success, not simply today’s workforce demands. As AI rapidly changes the job market, we should prioritize durable skills like reasoning, communication, adaptability, and digital literacy over training for any single technology.

Students build trust in science by doing science. Partnerships with researchers, agriculture, healthcare, and energy organizations can connect classroom learning to real-world challenges and inspire the next generation of innovators.

KEYWORDS: Scientific Literacy, Critical Thinking, Adaptability

Wildfire policy should be guided by science and updated as our understanding improves. One of the most valuable lessons I took from studying natural resource management was that forest management practices evolve, and public policy should evolve with them.

My priorities are to reduce wildfire risk before fires start, strengthen community preparedness, and support rapid response when they do occur. That means investing in strategic thinning, prescribed burns where appropriate, fuel reduction, and restoring forests to conditions that are more resilient to wildfire. It also means improving early detection, supporting firefighters, helping communities create defensible space, and ensuring local governments have the resources to plan for emergencies.

Success requires partnership between state agencies, tribes, private landowners, local governments, and the forest products industry. Healthy forests, resilient communities, and sustainable timber markets are complementary goals, not competing ones.

Good wildfire policy isn’t static. We should continually evaluate new research and adopt best practices that reduce risk while protecting Washington’s people, forests, and economy.

KEYWORDS: Resilience, Prevention, Preparedness

Washington’s farmers are under pressure from every direction—volatile commodity markets, tariffs, workforce shortages, rising input costs, and increasing regulatory complexity. As we pursue environmental goals, we have to recognize the cumulative impact these challenges have on an industry that feeds our state and our country.

I support maintaining our commitment to environmental stewardship, but we should prioritize policies that help producers remain competitive. That includes investing in water infrastructure, expanding agricultural research through institutions like WSU, supporting precision agriculture that reduces costs and emissions, and ensuring climate policies are regularly evaluated for their real-world impacts on family farms.

Farmers don’t want to rely on subsidies—they want the opportunity to compete, innovate, and earn a living from the land. Government should provide predictable regulations, remove unnecessary barriers, and reinvest a meaningful share of climate revenues into projects that directly benefit rural communities and agriculture.

We can protect our natural resources while ensuring the next generation can afford to keep farming in Washington.

KEYWORDS: Competitiveness, Empowerment, Innovation