NYT: How Lee Zeldin Shifted the Message of the EPA – He emphasizes phrases like ‘energy dominance…red tape’ & downplays phrases like ‘global warming’ – Has ‘overseen a systematic unraveling of climate change protections’
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/04/12/climate/lee-zeldin-epa-mission-language.html
If language is a window into policy priorities, Mr. Zeldin’s words speak loudly.
More than any administrator since 1994, Mr. Zelin talks about fossil fuels in a positive light, routinely expounding upon “clean, beautiful coal,” a phrase that Mr. Trump has ordered officials to use.
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Carolyn Holran, an E.P.A. spokeswoman, said in a statement that Mr. Zeldin talks frequently about the environmental actions he has undertaken and that the E.P.A. recently released a list of 500 of them.
“We are delivering results, ensuring America has the cleanest air, land, and water in the world while simultaneously helping to grow the economy,” Ms. Holran said.
“The core mission of the EPA is protecting human health and the environment, and we are doing exactly that, without burdening American families and businesses with unnecessary regulatory costs that harm affordability,” she added.
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Mr. Zeldin’s actions have matched his rhetoric: Over the past 14 months, Mr. Zeldin has overseen a systematic unraveling of climate change protections.
Mr. Zeldin rarely mentions climate change, other than to criticize climate “zealots” and to boast of repealing greenhouse gas regulations, as well as E.P.A.’s authority to fight global warming.
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Mr. Zeldin has taken specific steps to safeguard air and water. This month he announced that the agency would curb microplastics and pharmaceuticals in drinking water for millions of Americans. He signed an agreement with Mexico to address a sewage crisis in the Tijuana River and led a 28-day cleanup of hazardous material last year after wildfires tore through Los Angeles. His list of 500 “environmental wins” includes removing contamination at industrial sites in Maine, Boston and Florida.
In interviews, Mr. Zeldin tends to focus on local environmental remediation. …
He said the Trump administration just wants to get back to basics. And, he said, that includes easing commerce.
“For us here at E.P.A., it’s protecting human health and the environment, which we know we could do while also growing the economy,” Mr. Zeldin said.