Administrator Zeldin's January 16, 2025 Testimony - Nomination of Lee Zeldin as EPA Administrator
Testimony before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works
January 16, 2025
Thank you, Chairman Capito, Ranking Member Whitehouse, and all the distinguished members of this committee.
It has been an honor to meet with all of you to learn more about your highest priorities. I look forward to working with all Senators on this committee on both sides of the aisle to tackle the most pressing issues facing our Country.
I humbly sit before you, nominated to serve as the 17th Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. The American people made their voices heard in November, giving President Trump a mandate to lead our Nation to prosperity. I am grateful that the President-elect is giving me the opportunity to lead the EPA at this critical time.
Our mission is simple, but essential: to protect human health and the environment. We must do everything in our power to harness the greatness of American innovation with the greatness of American conservation and environmental stewardship. We must ensure we are protecting the environment while also protecting our economy. Throughout my life, I have been privileged to hold such titles as Congressman and State Senator and Lieutenant Colonel, but none has meant more to me than husband, son, and father.
While one of my identical twin daughters, Ariana, is now back at college, I am excited to be joined here today by my wife, Diana, and our daughter, Mikayla, as well as my mother, Meryl.
The American people need leaders who can find common ground to solve the urgent issues we face. I want my daughters, your loved ones, and every child across our Country to thrive in a world with clean air, clean water, and boundless opportunity. If confirmed, I pledge to enthusiastically uphold the EPA’s mission.
I will foster a collaborative culture within the agency, supporting career staff who have dedicated themselves to this mission. I strongly believe we have a moral responsibility to be good stewards of our environment for generations to come.
It has been so motivating to see the tremendous talent stepping up to serve in the EPA. I couldn’t be more excited to partner with our EPA team nationwide to exceptionally serve the American public.
I had the honor of working with many of you when I represented New York’s First Congressional District. My district on the eastern end of Long Island was unique in that it was almost completely surrounded by water. My constituents took environmental issues very seriously, and I developed a record in Congress fighting hard and with great success advancing their local priorities.
I worked across party lines to preserve the Long Island Sound and Plum Island. I supported key legislation that became historic bipartisan success stories, like the Great American Outdoors Act, and Senator Sullivan and Whitehouse’s Save Our Seas Act to clean up plastics from our oceans. Whether it was leading the fight for Sea Grant, combating PFAS in drinking water, voting for the Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act, or supporting clean energy projects on Long Island, I was proud to do my part to secure these environmental victories.
Georgetown University and the Lugar Center consistently ranked me one of the most bipartisan members of Congress, and to that end, I joined the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus to focus on tackling the challenges of a changing climate. If confirmed, I want to work with all of you to address the unique environmental issues facing your State. Not only do I want to partner with you; I want to learn from you. I ask you all what a former Administrator asked a great chairman of this committee from my home State, Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan: what advice would you give me as I undertake to lead EPA? I look forward to having this discussion
with each of you.
The EPA must be better stewards of tax dollars, honor cooperative federalism, and be transparent and accountable to Congress and the public. The American people elected President Trump last November in part due to serious concerns about upward economic mobility and their struggle to make ends meet. Too many of our fellow Americans are trapped in poverty and desperate for a whole-of-government approach to give them a hand up. We can and we must protect our precious environment without suffocating the economy.
A big part of this will require building private sector collaboration to promote common sense, smart regulation that will allow American innovation to continue to lead the world. If confirmed, under the EPA, with my leadership, we will prioritize compliance as much as possible. I believe in the rule of law, and I want to work with people to ensure they do their part to protect our environment.
Success is defined for many, including me, as leaving this world better than we found it. I want every child in this Nation, including my daughters and your children, to inherit a world with clean air, clean water, and a thriving economy. This mission must transcend politics, and I look forward to working with all of you to achieve it.
I thank you, Chairman Capito, Ranking Member Whitehouse, and all the members of this committee. I am eager to answer your questions and discuss the issues facing your constituents.