President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead EPA will be tasked with spearheading efforts to claw back environmental rules and dismantle pro-renewable energy policies.
But when Lee Zeldin represented eastern Long Island in Congress during Trump’s first term, he sometimes butted heads with the administration’s environmental policies, especially when it came to water quality in his low-lying district.
Efforts to clean up Long Island Sound and other major U.S. waterways were under threat after Trump took office. The administration proposed cutting funding to restore Long Island Sound, prompting Zeldin and other Northeastern lawmakers to push back.
Environmental advocates who worked with Zeldin previously are now watching closely to see whether his roots in coastal, flood-prone Long Island influence his approach at EPA.
