The former Republican congressman from Long Island, New York, called Fox News from Mar-a-Lago after President-elect Donald Trump announced Lee Zeldin as his nominee for head of the Environmental Protection Agency.
“You know, the EPA was in some ways the enemy of a lot of companies across America, because they had long arms.” the Fox News host said After congratulating Zeldin on his nomination. “What are you going to do with the EPA?”
Mr. Zeldin continued to talk vaguely about rolling back a series of regulations that are “making businesses struggle” and moving American jobs overseas. “We have the ability to pursue energy dominance and make America the artificial intelligence capital of the world,” he said. “President Trump is very focused on protecting the environment,” Zeldin added. “That’s a top priority.”
Then he returned to what he thought was the main point. “That’s why I’m excited to work on implementing President Trump’s economic policies.”
The second half of the six-minute interview was devoted to discussing other issues, including Trump’s recent phone call with New York Governor Cathy Hochul and the indictment against the former president still pending in the New York State Supreme Court. spent.
The entire conversation was an indication of what could reasonably be expected from EPA over the next four years. Deregulation of the fossil fuel industry was justified as a stimulus package, and the importance of clean air and water was platitudes, but no mention was made of how they would work. is also achieved at the same time. In similar rhetoric, President Trump himself said that Zeldin would “ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that are implemented in a way that unleashes the power of American business while maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and environment.” I will.” water on earth. ”
Mr. Zeldin points out, if not directly, the thousands of community activists who have spent years pushing for tighter regulations in the nation’s “victim zones” (towns like Port Arthur, Texas, and Lake Charles, Louisiana). This suggests that the road ahead will be difficult. Fossil fuel infrastructure and petrochemical plants emit cancer-causing pollutants into the air and water.
Zeldin, a 44-year-old lawyer and former Army lieutenant, has no experience in environmental policy. He entered politics in 2011 through the New York State Senate, where he served until 2014. That year, he was elected as the U.S. representative for the state’s 1st Congressional District, which includes most of Long Island.
As a lawmaker, Zeldin did not serve on subcommittees that oversee environmental policy. He regularly votes against progressive climate and environmental policies and has a lifetime score of only 14 percent By the League of Conservation Voters, an advocacy group that tracks the positions of members of Congress on environmental legislation. In 2020, an amendment would block the EPA from finalizing Trump-era soot standards that would expose communities of color to more air pollution in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Voted no. Linked This will lead to an increase in the mortality rate due to the new coronavirus. This amendment was ultimately passed.
2021, Zeldin voted against the bill This will require listed companies to disclose information on the climate risks of their business models. That bill was also passed. The following year, we supported failed bill That would also result in the cancellation of the United States’ participation in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The Convention is a process that promotes international cooperation on climate policy, including participation in the annual United Nations Climate Conference.
Of particular note is Zeldin. voted in favor of a bill that would require the EPA to set drinking water standards. PFAS PFOA is a so-called “forever chemical” that accumulates in the environment and has been linked to various cancers and other serious health problems. Last year, a local news station discovered: 33 of Long Island’s 48 water districts have traces of these chemicals. in their drinking water.
EPA finalizes first domestic drinking water PFAS limit
In 2022, Zeldin ran for governor of New York, but lost to Kathy Hochul.
Zeldin’s appointment marks the retirement of current Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan, whose term expires when President Trump takes office in January. Unlike Zeldin, Regan has a background in environmental science and, prior to his appointment as administrator, served as administrator of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality and worked as an air quality expert for the EPA. As EPA administrator, he oversaw the Biden administration’s historic efforts toward environmental justice, including community engagement sessions, strengthening national standards for particulate matter, and reviewing regulations for many chemical plants.
It remains to be seen whether and to what extent the Reagan initiatives and regulations will survive the years of the second Trump administration. Mr. Zeldin’s nomination must be approved by a vote in the Senate, where Republicans won a majority in an election earlier this month.
If confirmed, Mr. Zeldin would have significant power in shaping the national direction of climate and environmental policy. In addition to overseeing the enforcement of current environmental laws and regulations, he will: Tasked with preparing the EPA’s annual budgetwhich determines how much funding is allocated to initiatives such as national surveillance and air quality monitoring. More fossil-fuel-minded administrators will dismantle these parts of government to allow industry-friendly state agencies like the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to regulate in the dark. may choose to do so.
Mr. Trump ran on a platform that prioritized minimizing regulatory oversight and maximizing fossil fuel production. Zeldin’s appointment will be key to determining that.
