President-elect Donald Trump is selecting former congressman Lee Zeldin (R., N.Y.) to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, a role with considerable influence over the incoming administration’s energy and regulatory agenda.
Zeldin, a staunch ally of the once and now future president, will be tasked with dismantling the Biden administration’s stringent environmental regulations and deeply unpopular electric vehicle mandate as EPA Administrator. The New York Post first reported on Zeldin’s appointment.
“It is an honor to join President Trump’s Cabinet as EPA Administrator,” Zeldin said in a post on X Monday.
“We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI. We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water.”
Zeldin will be at the forefront of carrying out Trump’s promise to take advantage of America’s “liquid gold,” which is what the former president calls the nation’s vast oil reserves. Trump also campaigned strongly against the Biden administration’s electric vehicle mandate — a combination of environmental regulations for gas-powered cars, government investments in electric vehicle manufacturing, and subsidies for electric vehicle consumers.
The electric vehicle mandate was a major liability for Vice President Kamala Harris in Michigan, a swing-state Trump ultimately won on his way to a resounding electoral triumph last week. Electric vehicles have also turned into a losing investment for automobile manufacturers facing lagging demand and increased competition from China.
During his time in congress, Zeldin was a member of the conservative climate caucus, the congressional estuary caucus, and the bipartisan climate solutions caucus. Zeldin represented Long Island’s Suffolk County for four terms before he launched an unsuccessful bid for governor against Democrat Kathy Hochul in 2022.
Hochul defeated Zeldin by only six points, a significantly closer margin than New York state’s 2020 presidential election outcome, in large part due to concerns about rising crime rates. Zeldin’s insurgent campaign was credited with helping congressional Republicans win competitive New York seats and flipping the House majority to the GOP.
Zeldin has criticized the Hochul administration’s lofty climate goals for New York and called for overturning the state’s ban on natural gas extraction to create jobs and revitalize communities.
“Day 1 and the first 100 days we have the opportunity to roll back regulations that are forcing businesses to be able to struggle,” Zeldin said on Fox News Monday afternoon. He blamed progressive environmental regulations for causing businesses to cut costs and move jobs overseas.
“[Zeldin] 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,” Trump said in a statement.
He added that Zeldin will create new environmental standards to foster American growth, an idea with advocates on both sides of the political aisle.
“I have known Lee Zeldin for a long time, and have watched him handle, brilliantly, some extremely difficult and complex situations. I am very proud to have him in the Trump Administration, where he will quickly prove to be a great contributor!”