EPA nominee Lee Zeldin's confirmation hearing: What to know, how to watch
Lee Zeldin, the former New York congressman tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is set to face his Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday.
Zeldin served as a Republican congressman from New York and represented parts of Long Island between 2015 and 2023. He left his seat to run for the New York governor's office in 2022 but was eventually defeated by Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Trump has touted Zeldin as a person who will advocate for deregulation and allow for an expansion of fossil-fuel energy. Environmental groups have opposed the pick, however, citing Zeldin’s history of anti-environmental voting while in Congress.
Here's what you need to know about Zeldin's confirmation hearing.
Watch Lee Zeldin’s confirmation hearing
The hearing is expected to begin Thursday, Jan. 16, at 10 a.m. ET.
Who is Lee Zeldin?
Zeldin, 44, is an attorney and former military intelligence officer who grew up in Suffolk County, New York.
He also served as a U.S. Representative for District 1 in New York for eight years. Zeldin had a 14% lifetime environmental voting score based on his voting record in Congress, according to the League of Conservation Voters.
Some of his votes in Congress included opposing investments in climate-resilient wastewater infrastructure, but he also fought efforts to dispose of dredge waste in the Long Island Sound.
Deregulation and increased fossil fuel production a key goal for Trump
If confirmed by the Senate to lead the EPA, Zeldin is expected to help roll back many of the climate regulations set by the Biden administration as Trump pushes an expansion of fossil-fuel energy.
Trump has touted Zeldin's "very strong legal background" and called the former congressman "a true fighter for America First policies."
"He will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet," Trump said in a statement.
Trump added that Zeldin will "set new standards on environmental review and maintenance, that will allow the United States to grow in a healthy and well-structured way."
Trump’s deregulatory goals regarding climate change formed part of his approach during his first administration. During his first four years in office, Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, an international effort to limit global warming through greenhouse gas emissions reductions.
He also reversed or weakened domestic rules that limited greenhouse gas emissions – a move one 2020 analysis by the Rhodium Group estimated would result in an extra 1.8 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for Paste BN. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.