Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin made a complete 180-degree turn Tuesday, decrying concerns about the existential issue of climate change and pledging to power “the Great American Comeback.”
Last Month, Zeldin had told Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders during his Senate confirmation hearings that he believes in the threat of climate change, and that the U.S. “must, with urgency, be addressing these issues.” However, in a recent interview with Breitbart News, the former New York congressman blasted the previous administration and seemed to make a complete reversal from remarks on The Hill.
Zeldin questioned the legitimacy of current climate science, saying timelines of the world purportedly ending have “come and gone.” Should rates of global warming tied to fossil fuel industry emissions continue to rise, scientists have warned about major and devastating outcomes.
“There has been talk through the years about how the world was imminently about to end because of climate change, and in the name of that threat there was a push to do some crazy things,” he said, accusing Democrats of wasting tax dollars related to climate change “in a way that was inexcusable, unjustifiable and illegitimate.”
He said, again, that when President Donald Trump would call climate change a “scam” or “hoax” he was concerned from an economic standpoint.
“What he expressed as a concern was, in the name of climate change, that politicians in Washington, D.C., were willing to bankrupt our economy and that people who were struggling to make ends meet would lose the ability to heat their homes, and that Americans who want to be able to go out and purchase a gas-powered vehicle would have that option denied to them by the government,” Zeldin remarked.
Republicans have said a transition toward electric vehicles was “forced.” The Biden administration issued a regulation designed to ensure that the majority of new passenger cars and light trucks sold in America were all-electric or hybrids by 2032, in a push to limit pollution. It did not mandate the sales of electric vehicles and allowed gas-powered cars and trucks to be sold.
Zeldin’s comments about Trump’s position discount the fact that the consequences of severe climate change are expected to cost much more than policies or expenditures related to mitigation and adaptation.
One of the EPA’s new goals is to “restore American energy dominance” in ways that Zeldin claims will be “best for the environment.”
Zeldin also detailed a five-pronged plan to guide work at the agency over the course of his first 100 days, and turn away from what he deems leftist environmentalist radicalism. The first prong is for every American to have access to clean air, land and water. At the campaign debate, Trump claimed his administration had “the best environmental numbers ever,” although the administration rolled back related protections.
The second prong is restoring what the EPA calls "energy dominance," which Zeldin says will cut heating costs for Americans. "This will also allow our nation to stop relying on energy sources from adversaries, while lowering costs for hardworking middle-income families, farmers, and small business owners," he said.
Zeldin also stressed the importance of permitting reform. The EPA issues permits that require permittees to comply with applicable federal environmental statutes, limiting emissions, discharges of pollutants and disturbances to the environment, according to the EPA website. The agency has yet to take a hacksaw to that page and others detailing the science behind climate change.
“It will be important for the EPA to work with our partners at the state and federal levels to ensure projects are being approved and companies can invest billions of dollars into our nation,” he said.
Bringing back American auto jobs is another pillar, as is “making the U.S. the artificial intelligence capital of the world” over China. AI also comes with a concerning energy cost, with data centers needing enormous amounts of power systems.
Zeldin noted that he believes in choice when it comes to the auto industry, and brought up Michigan’s National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory. The lab provides emission testing services.
“Couple things — one is there is a big research mission in Ann Arbor that is part of EPA. It is important that the science, data, research, coming from that important work doesn’t yield results that are skewed by ideology and being a zealot. We don’t want any left-wing bias to be inserted into science and research,” he said.
In response to a slew of questions from The Independent about Zeldin and the agency’s climate change positions, the agency sent back a link to their press release detailing the initiative.
