Former Long Island Congressman Lee Zeldin has been the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for only two months, but is already making his mark. 

Implementing a series of changes, Zeldin argues he is cutting costs and helping the economy. Climate activists warn he is hurting the environment. 

“I could absolutely call it the worst assault in history on environment and public health based on where we are,” Alexandra Adams, chief policy advocacy officer at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said.

What You Need To Know

  • Just two months on the job, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator and former New York Congressman Lee Zeldin has moved fast in implementing President Donald Trump's agenda at the federal agency

  • He has announced plans to reconsider or roll back dozens of regulations, including emission limits on power plants and automobiles. He has also attempted to claw back $20 billion in Biden-era climate grants 

  • Climate advocates warn Zeldin is harming the environment and argue he is distancing himself from his own record. While in Congress, Zeldin was part of a bipartisan climate caucus
  • Zeldin argues his actions are cutting government waste and helping the economy by reducing regulations

Since taking office at the end of January, the former gubernatorial candidate has moved fast in implementing President Donald Trump’s agenda. 

He has announced plans to reconsider or roll back dozens of regulations, including emission limits on power plants and automobiles. He has also attempted to claw back $20 billion in Biden-era climate grants. 

Additionally, he has sought a two-thirds cut to the EPA budget, a move that critics warn would cause the firing of hundreds of scientists. 

“These are really the people who help the agency determine if, for example, a chemical poses a risk of cancer, or if a factory is polluting a nearby river by a community that relies on that river for its water,” Adams said. 

Zeldin has also announced the agency will reconsider a 2009 finding that greenhouse gasses endanger public health and welfare, which underpins various EPA actions to combat climate change.

Adams says compared to the EPA of the first Trump term, the EPA under Zeldin is “more alarming.”

“The speed and ruthlessness with which everything is being deconstructed is happening very quickly,” she said. 

Zeldin has cast his actions as cutting government waste and helping the economy by reducing regulations, explaining his decisions in a series of videos online and on social media. 

“We won't be funding left wing ideological pet projects like the past administration,” he said in one video, posted on March 11. 

“Today, the ‘Green New Scam’ ends as the EPA does its part to usher in the golden age of American success,” he said in a March 12 video. “Our actions will lower the cost of living by making it more affordable to purchase a car, heat your home, and operate a business.”

Zeldin’s past

Climate advocates argue Zeldin is distancing himself from his own record. 

In Congress, he was part of a bipartisan climate caucus and voted to crack down on toxic forever chemicals. He also touted his efforts to secure funding to help protect the Long Island Sound. 

At his January Senate confirmation hearing to become EPA administrator, he declared climate change “real” and invoked scientists at the agency. 

“I don’t sit before you as a scientist. Fortunately at EPA we do have many talented scientists,” he told lawmakers.

Notably, back in February during one of his first weeks on the job, Zeldin told Spectrum News, “It’s important for us that we do everything we can in our power to make sure Americans have the cleanest air, land, and water.”

“That is something that keeps me up at night,” he added.

Jack Pratt, senior political director at the Environmental Defense Fund, said given Zeldin’s actions at the EPA so far, it does not add up. 

“It's hard to understand what his priorities are. They don't fit together and they don't really make a whole lot of sense if you listen to everything he's saying,” Pratt said. 

The EPA's response

Spectrum News reached out to the EPA repeatedly, requesting an interview with Zeldin for this story. They did not make him available. 

In a statement, an EPA spokesperson said, in part, “We can protect the environment and grow the economy at the same time … This is a very important change from the previous administration’s attempts to shut down American energy and make our citizens more reliant on foreign fossil fuels, resulting in worse environmental outcomes globally, billions in fresh funding to many of our nation’s adversaries … and economic pain on those who can least afford it.”

“Since Administrator Zeldin has taken office, the agency has been moving at an efficient and rapid pace to deliver real results for the American people,” the statement continued.