Lee Zeldin tapped to lead Trump administration EPA

President-elect Donald Trump announced Monday that he will appoint former congressman Lee Zeldin of Shirley to serve as the head of the Environmental Protection Agency.

“He will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses,” Mr. Trump said in the announcement posted on Truth Social,  “while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet.”

The appointment is subject to approval by the U.S. Senate, which will be in control of the Republicans when the next term begins in January. If confirmed, Mr. Zeldin will manage and enforce the nation’s environmental laws and regulations, prepare the agency’s annual budget and lead the country’s “government efforts related to environmental regulations at home and abroad,” among other responsibilities, according to the EPA’s website. 

Mr. Zeldin served as the congressional representative for New York’s 1st Congressional District from 2015 to 2023, representing a large swath of Suffolk County residents including those living on the East End. 

Throughout his time in Congress, Mr. Zeldin sponsored legislation on a number of issues, namely regarding veterans’ affairs, foreign affairs, law enforcement, immigration, U.S.-Israel relations and combatting antisemitism. 

In 2017, Mr. Zeldin introduced a bill known as the Plum Island Preservation Act that was passed by the House later that year. The preservation efforts have continued in the legislature as current District 1 Rep. Nick LaLota introduced a bill known as Plum Island Monument Act in 2023 and Sen. Chuck Schumer promoted a similar bill called the Plum Island Preservation Study Act in the Senate in September. 

Mr. Zeldin also introduced the Local Fishing Access Act in 2017, which called for the authorization of federal permit and regulation of Atlantic striped bass fishing in the Block Island Sound Transit Zone, located between areas south of Montauk Point and Point Judith, Rhode Island. The bill was stalled in Congress, but Mr. Zeldin was able to include an amendment that called to lift the ban on Atlantic striped bass fishing in the transit zone in the 2018 Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Managements Act, which passed.

“Lee’s vision for the EPA focuses on economic growth while protecting our environment,” Mr. LaLota wrote in a post to X following news of Mr. Zeldin’s nomination. “His plan to restore energy dominance, create jobs and protect clean air & water makes him an ideal choice to lead the EPA.”

Group for the East End president Bob DeLuca said he has “somewhat mixed” feelings about the broader policies of the incoming Trump administration and Mr. Zeldin’s track record representing Suffolk County conservation interests. 

As a representative, Mr. DeLuca said that Mr. Zeldin advocated for estuary program funding, worked to remove polyfluoroalkyl chemicals (also known as PFAS or “forever chemicals”) from the water supply and tried to help preservation efforts on Plum Island. However, Mr. DeLuca said he is concerned whether those same interests will carry over to Mr. Zeldin’s policy positions while leading the EPA. 

Mr. Zeldin’s familiar relationship with Mr. Trump is something Mr. DeLuca hopes will help him fight to ensure conservation, “issues transcend what has been the broader public statements about kind of dismantling the EPA and reducing its regulatory powers.”

“You don’t really know until someone gets into the job,” Mr. DeLuca said. “I think from our perspective we are concerned about a lot of the broad environmental discussion that’s going on. But at the same time, we’ve always managed to have a good relationship with [Mr. Zeldin’s] staff when he was the congressman.”

Mr. DeLuca hopes to maintain a healthy line of communication with the EPA administrator, and having someone from Long Island man the helm of the agency is something that he feels “could be helpful.”

“Having somebody that knows the area that you can reach out to or talk to — we always consider that to be an advantage over somebody that has no connection to the area,” Mr. DeLuca said.