To: Interested Parties
From: Evergreen Action Deputy Communications Director Seth Nelson
Date: Wednesday, January 15, 2025
Re: Three Key Questions for Lee Zeldin at EPA Administrator Confirmation Hearing 

Tomorrow, former New York Congressman Lee Zeldin, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), will face the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in his confirmation hearing. Zeldin’s history of climate skepticism and his promises to slash critical regulations that protect clean air and water raise serious concerns about his ability to uphold the EPA’s mission to protect human health and the environment. 

Lee Zeldin’s nomination to lead the EPA is nothing more than a political payoff for his loyalty to Donald Trump and the corporate polluters who back him. Zeldin has spent his career siding with fossil fuel corporations and championing fracking. He opposed federal clean energy investments that have created nearly 29,000 jobs, lowered energy costs, and driven more than $115 billion in investments in his home state of New York. If confirmed, Zeldin will put corporate polluters first, gutting critical protections for clean air, safe drinking water, and climate action that Americans rely on. He is nowhere near fit to lead the agency tasked with protecting the environment and human health.

Here are three key questions for senators to ask former Congressman Lee Zeldin:

Would you fast-track permitting approvals and break federal laws if President-elect Trump asked you to reward a corporate polluter and donor’s billion-dollar investment?

Last month, President-elect Trump pledged to fast-track environmental approvals and permits for any company or person investing $1 billion or more in the U.S., effectively putting federal laws and safeguards up for sale. If confirmed as EPA administrator, would you follow Trump’s directive to rubber-stamp permits and bypass federal review processes designed to protect the public interest, even if it means breaking the law, to reward billion-dollar donors? How would you ensure that your decisions prioritize Americans' health, safety, and economic well-being over political kickbacks to corporate polluters?

How will you support expanding affordable clean energy options rather than returning to an economy dominated by fossil fuels?

During your 2022 gubernatorial campaign, you advocated for expanding natural gas infrastructure and reversing New York’s fracking ban. Federal clean energy investments have spurred growth in clean manufacturing and affordable renewable energy, creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs, lowering energy costs for Americans, and cutting climate pollution. How will you ensure that the EPA continues to support expanding affordable, reliable, clean energy options rather than dragging us backward to an energy economy dominated by fossil fuels?

Given your commitment to aggressive regulatory rollbacks, how will you ensure the EPA fulfills its mission to protect public health?

You’ve emphasized your commitment to rolling back regulations on day one, framing environmental protections as burdens on businesses. However, these regulations are critical to safeguarding clean air and water for Americans and addressing the climate crisis. Given your commitment to rolling back essential clean air and water protections, how can Americans trust that you will uphold EPA’s mission to protect public health and the environment?

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