We are gravely concerned about Trump’s plan to roll back years of environmental progress that has been made over successive administrations, yet his pick to head the EPA, former Congressman Lee Zeldin, comes from a part of the country where the environment is the economy, where the impacts of climate change – to life and property – are top concerns, where open space protection matters, and where PFAS, 1-4 dioxane and other emerging contaminants in the water supply are pervasive threats to public health.
While we did not always see eye to eye with Rep. Zeldin, we did work to find common ground on several issues during his time in office, including on Plum Island, the Great American Outdoors Act, fighting offshore drilling on the East Coast, EPA actions on PFAS, and restoring funding for Long Island Sound.
The former congressman has called himself a champion for conservation within the Republican Party. He has also said he is committed to public health and that he supports energy independence. For the health and wellness of the American people and given the urgency of the climate crisis, we hope his EPA will reflect these values.