On November 11, 2024, it was announced that President-elect Donald Trump selected former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator. Zeldin served four terms as a House Republican member and then lost the 2022 New York Governor's race to Kathy Hochul. It is expected that Zeldin's first task will likely be to start the process of overturning several Biden EPA priority rules on climate change. While in Congress, Zeldin voted against the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. 

"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. "He will set new standards on environmental review and maintenance that will allow the United States to grow in a healthy and well-structured way." 

UEP will continue to work through the change in Administration to build relationships within EPA. 

Also see “Trump picks former Rep. Lee Zeldin to be his EPA administrator,” from NPR, for more information.