[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 19 (Wednesday, January 29, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S460]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                        Nomination of Lee Zeldin

  Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. President, I rise today in support of the nomination 
of Lee M. Zeldin to serve as the Administrator of the Environmental 
Protection Agency. I have confidence that Congressman Zeldin's 
experience as a veteran of the War on Terror, as an officer in the U.S. 
Army Reserve, and as an elected official on both the State and Federal 
level has prepared him to aptly serve as the EPA's leader.
  As a Member of the House of Representatives, Congressman Zeldin 
championed environmental policies that helped his Long Island district. 
During his testimony in front of the Environment and Public Works 
Committee, Congressman Zeldin proficiently demonstrated his 
understanding of what it will take to lead the Agency and the scope and 
importance of the authorities he will be required to faithfully 
implement. Congressman Zeldin is committed to adhering to the laws 
Congress passed that direct the EPA to protect our air, land, and 
water. He recognizes that the EPA's work must take into consideration 
the Agency's impacts on our constituents' pocketbooks and Main Street's 
success in addition to their health and welfare.
  Congressman Zeldin understands that the Agency must act on issues 
that the American people support, providing reliable, affordable, and 
clean American energy while also assisting communities that suffer from 
legacy pollution. This will provide a welcome change from the last 4 
years of the Biden EPA. As a result of the previous administration's 
ideologically driven regulatory overreach, families paid more to fill 
up their car to drop their kids off at school and get to work, paid 
more to heat their homes, and paid more at the grocery store due to 
increased energy costs.
  American energy producers were hit with regulation after regulation, 
intended to shut down reliable and affordable electric generation, 
strangling the very innovation and economic growth that led to 
decreasing emissions and pollutants, and America's energy dominance 
during President Trump's first term in office. I saw these impacts 
directly in communities across my home State of West Virginia. The 
Biden EPA set unscientific and unachievable regulatory requirements 
that would bankrupt rural communities. The process of approving new, 
safer chemicals was ground to a halt, and environmental cleanup 
programs were layered with bureaucracy and redtape.
  Thankfully in November, the American people spoke and rejected the 
previous administration's activist environmental agenda that promoted 
scarcity, inflation, and stagnation. With the confirmation of 
Congressman Zeldin, we have the opportunity to get the EPA back to 
meeting its core mission, protecting human health and the environment, 
and get Washington, DC, out of the way.
  In turn, this will empower States and communities to permit and fund 
the projects we need to protect our environment and grow our economy. 
The United States is facing a critical moment where the decisions made 
today will set the direction of our country for years to come. Our 
Nation's electric reliability experts are telling policymakers that the 
lights are blinking red, as major parts of the country are at risk of 
electricity shortages.
  Energy demand is sharply increasing as we strive to bolster America's 
energy security, bring manufacturing back to our shores, and compete 
with China to win the artificial intelligence race. This all requires 
more energy, of all types, rather than less. With Congressman Zeldin's 
leadership, the actions that EPA will take can set America up to thrive 
in an era with a cleaner environment, energy abundance, lower costs, 
and economic prosperity. This path will be a win-win for the American 
people.
  It is time to get to work, and that starts with confirming 
Congressman Zeldin. I urge my colleagues to support Lee Zeldin to serve 
as the EPA Administrator.