Ingham County Candidates Questionnaire 2024

 

Capital Area Friends of the Environment (CAFE) is a grassroots activist organization. We are local residents who are dedicated to creating a more sustainable and just environment in the Lansing region.

 

CAFE is committed to working with elected officials to advance strong policies and initiatives. We are asking for your response to the following questions regarding how Ingham County can address the impacts of climate change.

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Please send your response by June 21. We will share the results on our website (517cafe.org) and social media platforms. As you formulate your answers to the questions, please consider your vision and commitment to helping achieve a just transition to a clean energy future.

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Full Name

 

What office are you running for?

 

Primary Phone Number:

 

Primary/Campaign Email:

 

Candidate's Campaign Office phone number, if applicable:

 

What is your campaign Website:

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Please list your campaign social media accounts:

 

These questions are designed to help voters understand your commitment to advancing sustainability, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and effecting a just transition to clean energy through policies and initiatives at the county level.

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1. ​​The best available climate science shows we need to drastically reduce emissions by 2030. Ingham County policy and action should align with the goals set by Federal, State and local governments. What is your timeline for Ingham County's transition to renewable energy? How would you support efforts to implement community solar and to increase the use of geothermal and wind energy?

2. Transportation is one of the largest sectors for carbon emissions. This has the immediate effect of creating poor air quality. As Ingham County grows, we must look for ways to make transportation more affordable and less polluting. Expanded public transit, EV infrastructure, and improved bike/walk safety are all critical parts of the solution. What policies and initiatives do you support to make Ingham County less car-dependent and more walkable, bikeable, and with improved access to public transportation? What funding would you put in place to implement these initiatives?

3. Climate change disproportionately impacts frontline communities, especially low-income and Black, Indigenous & People of Color (BIPOC) communities. What actions do you support to address these imbalances?

4. There is unequivocal data that the health of underrepresented communities are disproportionately affected by environmental factors such as air pollution, PFAS poisoning, flooding, and climate change. What can Ingham County do to address the health impacts of environmental contamination? 

5. Federal funds are often directed to benefit Low Income Disadvantaged Communities (LIDAC) and can help achieve climate justice goals. Accessing this funding on behalf of Ingham County will help those in Ingham County who need that support and will bring equity to energy costs, transportation, food accessibility, and human health. Where would you like to see Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and other Federal investments made in regards to affordable clean energy?  What can be done to ensure the process of obtaining rebates and tax credits is easy to access for those who are seeking the assistance?

6. How we handle waste plays an important part of reducing emissions. How will you support waste reduction efforts, such as improved participation in recycling, removing organic waste from the waste stream and promoting composting, and a single-use plastics ban?

7. What do you see as the biggest roadblocks to addressing climate change through local policy? If elected, how would you collaborate with elected officials at all levels of government, businesses, individuals, and other community stakeholders to address these roadblocks?

8. Conventional norms of development and landscaping are definitively linked to plummeting populations of pollinator species such as birds, bats, and bees. What actions can Ingham County take to conserve and restore biodiverse habitats? What steps can Ingham County take to make such considerations the standard for land use?

9. Private homes, businesses, and agricultural operations often use chemical pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers that run off into water, causing great harm to aquatic wildlife and, left unchecked, can cause mass die-offs. What responsibility do Ingham County officials have towards water and wildlife?