Lee Zeldin, Trump’s EPA nominee, pledges independence from industry ties in senate hearing

Incoming President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) appeared on track for confirmation after a Senate hearing Thursday in which he pledged independence from industry money and influence.

Senators with the Committee on Environment and Public Works quizzed nominee Lee Zeldin, a former Congressman from eastern Long Island, on a wide range of issues, including his associations with, and financial ties to, the fossil fuel industry, his stance on government inducements for electric vehicle expansion, and environmental justice issues.

In one line of questioning, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat from Rhode Island, pressed Zeldin on how he would “separate” his work at EPA from the demands of the fossil fuel industry, in particular.

Zeldin has numerous ties to what Whitehouse described as a “climate denial front group,” and has been the recipient of what Whitehouse said was nearly $300,000 from the oil and gas industry back to 2007, and “large campaign support” from the wealthy Koch family, which runs a variety of businesses involved in oil and gas exploration, pipelines, refining, and chemical production, among others.

Zeldin said the connections would have no role in how he leads the EPA.

“There is no dollar, large or small, that can influence the decisions that I make, who has access to me and how I am ruling in my obligations under the law,” he responded.

“Well good luck standing up to these guys cause they’re going to come at you,” Whitehouse said.

Overall though, the hearing was relatively cordial, largely lacking the heated vitriol associated with the hearings of other nominees, such as Pete Hegseth, Trump’s nominee to serve as Secretary of Defense.

Zeldin spoke about an agenda to “follow the law,” be transparent, and work with industry to prevent environmental regulations from hurting the economy. He appears likely to be confirmed.

“Our mission is simple, but essential: To protect human health and the environment,” Zeldin said in his opening statement. “We must ensure we are protecting our environment, while also protecting our economy.”

His messaging has evolved since his first public words after being nominated by Trump on November 11, when he posted on X, “we will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI.”

Under questioning Thursday, Zeldin stated that “climate change is real,” that carbon dioxide and methane trap heat, and that greenhouse gases have helped lead to sea level rise, which is a serious problem including in Long Island.

Senator Jeff Merkley, a Democrat from Oregon, noted that Zeldin had been paid around $270,000 by corporate groups to give speeches and write op-eds, and asked Zeldin to make this material available to the committee, to which he said he would comply.

Zeldin did not serve on any environmental committees during his time in Congress; has a lifetime score of 14% from the League of Conservation Voters; and voted against certifying the result of free and fair 2020 presidential election — none of which came up during the hearing. In a failed run for New York governor in 2022, Zeldin vowed to reverse a state ban on fracking.

Most senators appeared deferential, and several used their time to burnish Zeldin’s credentials or to get the former Congressman to commit to looking into various issues that mattered to them. That included Republicans and Democrats.

Zeldin said several times he would commit to prioritizing access to clean water and air. He also noted he had worked to clean up PFAS pollution while in Congress, and would work on that at the EPA. In response to questions about PFAS contamination in Tucson, Arizona, from Sen. Mark Kelly, a Democrat from Arizona, Zeldin said he would commit to helping address the issue.

In response to a question about a US Supreme Court decision on a definition of what constitutes “waters of the US” (WOTUS) under the Clean Water Act, by Sen. Kevin Cramer, a Republican from North Dakota, Zeldin noted that the decision was “clear and prescriptive,” a sign that he would accept the ruling’s diminishment of federal authority to regulate development on wetlands and seasonal streams.

In response to questions from Sen. Dan Sullivan, a Republican from Alaska, Zeldin said he would commit to working with the senator on a large-scale and controversial liquified natural gas (LNG) project.

Sen. Whitehouse also asked Zeldin about plans for the EPA itself, noting that “prominent voices in Trump-world have been saying it’s important to traumatize EPA’s workforce and drive them out,” cut it by two-thirds, and “destroy the professional civil service protections of EPA’s work force.” How do you respond to those threats, he asked the nominee?

Zeldin did not directly answer, but said that “I want to increase the productivity of the EPA,” and said he stood by “a commitment to do the best job possible in leading the EPA to fulfill its mission.”