Trump Picks Lee Zeldin to Lead the EPA

Facts

• In what was his second cabinet appointment for his upcoming administration, US Pres.-elect Donald Trump has selected former New York Representative Lee Zeldin, 44, to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).^[1][2]
• Zeldin, who served four terms in Congress representing Long Island, doesn't support the Paris climate agreement and has a lifetime score of 14% from the League of Conservation Voters. He also questioned the severity of global warming in 2014.^[3][4]
• Zeldin served in the US Army between 2003 and 2007, holds a law degree from Albany Law School, and recently chaired the Trump-aligned America First Policy Institute's China Policy Initiative.^[5]
• Trump emphasized that Zeldin would "ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions," maintain "the highest environmental standards," and allow the US "to grow in a healthy and well-structured way."^[2][6]
• Zeldin posted on X (formerly Twitter) that he "will restore US energy dominance" and "make the US the global leader of AI" while protecting access to clean air and water.^[6][7]
• During his 2022 New York gubernatorial campaign, which he lost to Democrat Kathy Hochul, Zeldin criticized Democratic climate policies, opposed restrictions on fossil fuel development, and condemned forcing Americans to drive electric cars.^[3]

Sources: ^[1]New York Post, ^[3]NBC, ^[3]The Guardian, ^[4]The Hill, ^[5]Washington Free Beacon, ^[6]West Virginia Watch and ^[7]X.

Narratives

• Republican narrative, as provided by American Thinker and FOX News. Despite the smear campaigns from the other side, Lee Zeldin cares deeply about the environment, particularly regarding farmland and the threat it faces from China. Zeldin also won't be starting from scratch, as the previous Trump administration achieved tremendous results, from removing lead and copper from the water system to the largest carbon reduction of any country in 2019. Zeldin's EPA will focus on protecting the environment without crushing the economy.
• Democratic narrative, as provided by Sierra Club. There is no need to lie about Zeldin's threat to the environment when he makes comments about "energy dominance." As the US is already burning record amounts of fossil fuels, his anti-regulation mindset will put the country, and thus the world, on an exponentially regressive track away from saving the planet. You can't promise to produce clean water and air while simultaneously drilling unlimited oil and gas and igniting extreme droughts.