Zeldin and Trump campaign in Pennsylvania last month. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
President-elect Trump announced Monday he will nominate former House lawmaker Lee Zeldin to run the EPA.
Why it matters: Trump has promised a wave of deregulation and changes to U.S. environmental policy — including reversing most of President Biden's climate agenda.
What he's saying: 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.
Driving the news: Zeldin served in the House representing a Long Island district from 2015 to 2023. He also unsuccessfully challenged Democrat Kathy Hochul for New York governor in 2022.
- While in Congress, he was not active on environment or energy issues. Most speculation for the EPA post centered around former Administrator Andrew Wheeler.
- He had a lifetime 14 percent score from the League of Conservation Voters.
- "We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI," Zeldin said on X.
We'll be back your inbox tonight with more about what Zeldin's appointment will mean for energy policy.
