In a move that signals major shifts in environmental policy, President-elect Donald Trump has appointed Lee Zeldin, a former New York congressman and close ally, as the new head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The nomination, coming less than a week after Trump’s electoral victory, positions Zeldin to oversee what is expected to be an unprecedented rollback of environmental regulations enacted during previous administrations.
Trump, who oversaw the repeal of over 100 environmental rules during his previous term, praised Zeldin as a “true fighter for America First policies”. In a statement, the president-elect vowed that under Zeldin’s leadership, the EPA will “ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions” and “unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet”.
Zeldin’s Controversial Record on Environment
Zeldin, 44, represented a Long Island district in the House of Representatives until last year. The Republican is considered a staunch Trump loyalist and narrowly lost the 2022 New York governor’s race to Democrat Kathy Hochul. During that campaign, Zeldin attacked what he called Hochul’s “far-left climate agenda” and claimed Democrats were forcing people to drive electric vehicles.
The EPA nominee has rarely spoken out on environmental or climate change issues. However, in 2014 he expressed skepticism about the severity of global warming, saying he was “not sold yet on the whole argument that we have as serious a problem”. Zeldin, who has a 14% lifetime score from the League of Conservation Voters, also opposed the Paris climate agreement in 2018, an accord which Trump is again expected to withdraw the U.S. from.
Fears of Political Interference, Regulation Rollbacks
Zeldin’s nomination, which is subject to Senate confirmation, has raised alarm among current and former EPA staff. According to sources familiar with the matter, the agency is bracing for an exodus of employees fearful of facing political interference in their work to protect Americans from toxic chemicals, planet-warming emissions from vehicles and power plants, and other environmental threats.
“People are really worried that their work over the last several years could just be thrown out the window,” said one EPA staffer who requested anonymity due to fear of retaliation. “There’s a lot of anxiety about whether we’ll be able to continue doing our jobs with any kind of integrity.”
The overhaul Zeldin is expected to lead could rival any seen since the agency’s founding in 1970. In a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, Zeldin said his priorities would be restoring “US energy dominance”, revitalizing the auto industry, and making America the global leader in artificial intelligence – all while claiming to protect clean air and water access.
Echoes of Scott Pruitt’s Controversial Tenure
Zeldin’s rapid selection is a notable departure from Trump’s approach in 2016, when he waited until December to tap former Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt as his first EPA chief. Pruitt resigned in July 2018 amid a deluge of ethics scandals, including allegations that he misused agency funds, engaged in improper dealings with industry lobbyists, and enlisted subordinates to perform personal tasks.
Pruitt’s 16-month tenure was among the most controversial for an EPA administrator, as he presided over the methodical delay or reversal of dozens of regulations on air and water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and other environmental issues. Many of Pruitt’s actions were later challenged in court by environmental groups and Democratic state attorneys general.
Path Forward for Environmental Protection Uncertain
With Republicans set to control the House of Representatives and Trump returning to the White House, the future of key environmental protections and climate change policies hangs in the balance. Zeldin has indicated he intends to move aggressively to unravel rules across the EPA’s jurisdiction.
“Make no mistake, we are going to hit the ground running to deliver the deregulatory agenda the American people demanded when they elected President Trump,” Zeldin said in a statement. “For too long, the EPA has been a tool of the radical left, used to kill jobs and strangle our economy in red tape. No more.”
Environmental advocates argue that rolling back EPA rules will harm public health, particularly in communities of color and low-income areas that already suffer disproportionately from pollution. But Zeldin’s allies in industry and conservative political circles are cheering his nomination as a needed corrective after what they viewed as eight years of regulatory overreach under President Joe Biden.
As Zeldin prepares to take the reins at EPA, the battle lines are being drawn for what promises to be a contentious and consequential fight over the direction of U.S. environmental policy. With climate change impacts accelerating and public concern about the planet’s future growing, the stakes could hardly be higher.
