Environmental advocates are accusing EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin of betraying his own past record as a New York congressman, saying he has undermined water safety by rolling back restrictions on certain so-called “forever chemicals.” 

Zeldin’s team counters this, arguing the changes EPA is pursuing will benefit all Americans, including those in Zeldin’s former congressional district on Long Island. 

President Donald Trump’s selection of Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency was met with dismay by environmental advocates, who found little in his record they liked. The one potential silver lining: PFAS.

PFAS — or “forever chemicals” — are man-made, and break down very slowly, allowing them to persist in the environment, including contaminating drinking water and soil. They are linked to dangerous health effects, including cancer. 

“Forever chemicals” are an issue that Zeldin understood firsthand. Long Island, home to his old congressional district, is among the most polluted areas in the country. As a congressman, Zeldin was part of the PFAS Congressional Taskforce and backed bipartisan legislation to crack down on the compound.

What You Need To Know

  • When President Donald Trump picked former N.Y. gubernatorial candidate and congressman Lee Zeldin to lead the EPA, environmentalists found little in his record they liked, with one exception: PFAS

  • Several months into his tenure at the EPA, environmental groups now accuse Zeldin of turning his back on the "forever chemicals" issue, despite his history as a congressman supporting legislation to crack down on the compounds

  • The EPA dismisses those accusations, with a spokesperson saying Zeldin is “committed to combating PFAS and that has not changed” 

  • Last month, the EPA announced that it would roll back and reconsider Biden-era limits on a handful of “forever chemical” compounds and delay compliance for two others

Asked about PFAS at his January confirmation hearing to become EPA administrator, Zeldin said, “Through our enforcement and compliance, we have to ensure that we are moving the needle all across this entire country.”

“There are clean-up projects large and small across America, where many Americans have been waiting decades, generations, for that leadership and that action,” he added.

Several months into his tenure at the EPA, environmental groups now accuse Zeldin of turning his back on the issue.  

“There was, you know, certainly hope at the beginning of the administration, but that has changed very quickly and dramatically,” said Sarah Vogel, the senior vice president of healthy communities at the Environmental Defense Fund.

Most notably, last month, the EPA announced that it would roll back and reconsider Biden-era limits on a handful of “forever chemical” compounds and delay compliance for two others. 

Environmental advocates warn his former constituents on Long Island will be among those harmed. 

“There are water utilities on Long Island that are above the federal limits for these PFAS chemicals and that would have to install treatment technology or filtration by 2029 under the current limits,” said Rob Hayes with Environmental Advocates NY. “If Administrator Zeldin succeeds in rolling back these protections, those Long Islanders would have to wait another two years to have their water cleaned up.”

"Administrator Zeldin has betrayed almost every pro-environmental position he once took as a congressman," Hayes added.

Zeldin has defended the changes, arguing the agency made a procedural error when it established the drinking water standards, suggesting it would open the standards up to litigation. He separately raised concerns that, without delaying the compliance deadline, water systems could pass costs onto consumers.

“Individuals, Americans would have to pay to clean up their own water. And that was something members of Congress were saying that they want the agency to look at and address,” he said at a House hearing last month. 

The decision to roll back restrictions on the “forever chemicals” may face legal challenges. 

Lawmakers like Democratic Congressman Pat Ryan, who represents a Hudson Valley district battling its own PFAS contamination, are watching closely. 

“People will get sick and some people will tragically die because they're slowing this down,” Ryan said. 

In a statement, an EPA spokesperson said Zeldin is “committed to combating PFAS and that has not changed.” 

The EPA “is ensuring that regulations issued under the Safe Drinking Water Act follow the law, incorporate science, and can be implemented by water systems to strengthen public health protections,” the statement continued. “The changes that will be implemented by EPA will benefit not just Long Islanders but all Americans.”

The agency has touted the creation of guidelines for certain PFAS chemicals to stop them from entering drinking water systems and has hinted the actions are on the horizon to help communities combat contamination.