Lee Zeldin, once a climate-conscious Republican from New York, is now steering the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to roll back regulations, slash staff, and align with Trump and Elon Musk’s deregulatory vision.
Lisa Friedman reports for The New York Times.
In short:
- Zeldin has frozen billions in climate funding, attempted mass layoffs of EPA staff, and moved to repeal pollution rules, while putting fossil fuel and industry lobbyists into key roles.
- He now requires that all EPA expenditures over $50,000 be reviewed by an outside group aligned with Elon Musk, called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
- Zeldin has scrapped environmental justice programs and halted clean energy grants, framing them as wasteful, despite lawsuits and lack of evidence of fraud.
Key quote:
“He’s doing the job in a way that is a lot more visible than many of his predecessors of both parties. I would imagine that he’s motivated to do things that his boss is going to like and see and reward.”
— Kevin S. Minoli, lawyer who worked in the EPA Office of General Counsel from the Clinton through the Trump administrations
Why this matters:
The EPA, created in the 1970s to shield Americans from air, water, and chemical hazards, is now being retooled to prioritize industry deregulation, particularly in service of fossil fuel interests. Zeldin’s push to trim the EPA’s regulatory reach — reducing staff, pulling back on enforcement, and elevating corporate voices — reflects a broader strategy that environmental scientists say could weaken the nation’s ability to protect public health and respond to worsening climate impacts.
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