Zeldin speaks on the third day of the Republican National Convention in July. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images
Former Rep. Lee Zeldin, President-elect Trump’s pick to lead the EPA, has a record of targeting federal regulations and criticizing climate programs. Why it matters: Zeldin’s scant experience in environmental policymaking is perhaps the point.
• He comes into the position with a mandate to “ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions” and “unleash the power of American businesses,” Trump said Monday.
Between the lines: Few around town had Zeldin on their speculative shortlist for EPA. But Zeldin is close to the Trump circle and was active on the campaign trail.
• Zeldin, while representing a Long Island district from 2015 to 2023, finished his tenure on the Financial Services and Foreign Affairs committees and wasn’t particularly active on energy and climate issues.
• Former EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler was widely seen as a top candidate to run the agency again, and we could still see some familiar faces come back to EPA, CEQ or DOE in Trump 2.0.
What they’re saying: Trump, in a statement announcing the pick, noted Zeldin, a lawyer, has “a very strong legal background.”
• But Sierra Club executive director Ben Jealous labeled Zeldin “an unqualified, anti-American worker who opposes efforts to safeguard our clean air and water.”
Zoom in: As a member of Congress, Zeldin was active on coastal resilience issues important to his Long Island district.
• He notably voted for the REINS Act, legislation that passed the House in 2015 and sought to require legislative approval of major agency rules, defined as those with an annual financial impact of $100 million or more.
• Zeldin also voted in favor of lifting an embargo on crude oil exports in 2015, in favor of offshore oil drilling in 2016, and to prohibit funding for a DOD renewable energy mandate in 2016, according to a Heritage Foundation legislative scorecard.
A onetime member of both the all-GOP Conservative Climate Caucus and bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus, Zeldin holds a lifetime 14 percent score from the League of Conservation Voters.
• That’s a relatively high score for a Republican, but membership in those caucuses doesn’t always mean heavy engagement in climate issues or that his views are substantially different from a conventional Republican.
Flashback: More recently, Zeldin sharply criticized government climate goals during his failed New York gubernatorial run in 2022.
• Zeldin promised to lift the state’s ban on fracking enacted in 2015 and denounced the state’s shift away from fossil fuels and towards electric cars and lower building emissions.
• EPA’s auto emissions standards will likely be an early target for Zeldin if he’s confirmed.
Our thought bubble: Zeldin could be the first of many surprise Trump picks in energy and climate roles as the president-elect seeks to unleash a deregulatory agenda.