Trump picks Lee Zeldin to lead EPA

President-elect Donald Trump named former New York Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin to be his administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency.

The selection of Zeldin, a vocal Trump ally in Congress during his first term, was a surprise after Andrew Wheeler, who served as the second EPA chief during Trump’s first term, was widely thought to be the frontrunner for the post.

If confirmed, Zeldin will carry out Trump’s energy and environmental agenda, which includes pulling back Biden-era rules on climate and air pollution and potentially rescinding millions of dollars in funding for clean energy under the Inflation Reduction Act.

“Lee, with a very strong legal background, has been a true fighter for America First policies,” Trump said in a statement. “He will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to 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. He will set new standards on environmental review and maintenance, that will allow the United States to grow in a healthy and well-structured way.”

Zeldin, a former New York congressman from 2015 to 2023, was a member of the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus and Conservative Climate Caucus — though he received a 14 percent lifetime score from the League of Conservation Voters, a left-leaning group that ranks members on their environmental voting records.

Upon joining the bipartisan climate caucus in 2016, Zeldin declared one of his top priorities was to “safeguard our environment.”

He ran an unsuccessful campaign for governor of New York in 2022, losing to Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul. His campaign website makes no mention of addressing climate change as a priority, but he issued a three-point energy plan calling on the state to allow fracking of natural gas, a practice it had banned in 2014. He also called for approving new pipeline construction and suspending the gas tax.

Zeldin has also criticized Hochul for signing a bill that would ban the sale of gasoline powered cars by 2035.

After earning a law degree from Albany Law School in 2003, Zeldin served four years in the Army, including in intelligence and the JAG Corps. He then worked several years as an attorney in New York before being elected to the state Senate in 2010.