Where does your candidate stand on science?

By Michael Kaven and Joseph Van Linn

Our Great Lakes are being drained, but not in the way you might think. In decades past, tension between economic opportunities in Michigan and protection of the Great Lakes played a key role in motivating Michiganders to vote. Constituent views today on this balance of priorities are driven by personal experiences that are uniquely “Michigan,” such as access to public land for harvesting natural resources.

Along our Great Lakes shores, a small-town marina harbormaster, a business owner with waste management responsibility, and a recreational beachgoer possess priorities and perspectives that are just as uniquely informed by lived experiences as they have been for decades. But presently, national topics like federal tax brackets, tariffs on imported goods, gender equality, and overseas interventions more than influence – they dictate – how Michiganders vote. For reference, WDIV News Detroit finds that less than 5% of respondents identify the issue of greatest motivation to them to vote as either “environmental preservation” or “data center [development]” in Michigan.

As Michigan voters become increasingly concerned with other important issues at the federal level, our focus shifts away from the Great Lakes. Yesterday’s voters on threats to Michigan’s way of life are becoming tomorrow’s mere observers on these topics, but the need for scientific pursuit and informed policymaking isn’t going away.

Science policy is intrinsic to Michigan’s values and never far from your backyard. The Torch Lake superfund site in Houghton County is an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designated location that requires cleanup of mine wastes, including deposits of lead dating back to 1868. A remediation effort on the scale of Torch Lake requires knowledge of the region’s ecology, hydrology, and subsurface conditions, among other factors. If local scientific experts on this or other topics relay their ideas to a state legislature that is frequently shut down or whose attention is saturated by national affairs, Michigan and our ways of life could be among the first in the nation to suffer.

Conversely, if state administrators are aware of and sympathetic to the needs of Torch Lake and other cleanup projects, but funding to continue their environmental research declines, Michigan could suffer. This is why, in tandem, science and policy must continue to inform and implement new solutions to dynamic risks in our recreational land and water.

This raises the question; on the plethora of science policy topics that affect our state today, what are the stances held by Jack Bergman (US House), Elissa Slotkin (US Senate) and others who represent us? Will their answers to our questions surprise us? The Stance on Science initiative by the Scientist Network for Advancing Policy is working on just that. We distribute a survey to all Michigan candidates running for US House, US Senate, governor and state legislative offices ahead of the midterm elections on November 3rd , so you don’t have to. Candidates are contacted via campaign email address or website portal with the same list of questions. Any comments and keywords that the candidates enter in reply are posted directly to the Stance on Science – Michigan webpage, where voters can access and compare them freely before casting ballots.

Our Michigan team participates in the nationwide Stance on Science initiative to collect and publish candidate views on science policy, which already has banked over 4,000 responses by over 800 candidates from across the country running for election this November. Questions include how science will inform the future policymaking and priorities of each candidate, should they be elected to serve. Candidates are invited to complete this survey by October 26th, and responses are made available on our webpage (https://snapcoalition.org/initiatives/stance-on-science/states/mi) soon after each submission.

Science policy does not end at Torch Lake. It extends beyond, to the considerations of Enbridge Line 5 and the Copperwood Mine. Science policy decides how our community parks are used. It monitors the Great Lakes shorelines, considering how best to maintain them for future generations to enjoy. This election cycle, before we cast our ballots, Stance on Science is equipping Michigan with an important spotlight on the scientific values held by our candidates for office. We invite you to join us as we strive for transparency in ongoing races and reflect on the importance of science policy in Michigan today.

Michael Kaven of Escanaba, is the grandson of the late Ernie and Rose Kaven. He is a PhD student at University of South Carolina investigating experimental therapeutics for Alzheimer s disease. Joseph Van Linn of Grand Haven, Mich. is a PhD student at Cornell University studying earthquake physics. Michael and Joseph are a part of the Stance on Science Michigan team.