Industry groups hope Lee Zeldin, the incoming Trump administration’s pick for EPA administrator, will collaborate closely on key issues affecting waste, recycling and packaging.
President-elect Donald Trump announced former Rep. Zeldin, a Republican from New York, as his choice to lead the EPA on Monday. Zeldin was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2013 to 2023, and the Republican nominee for governor of New York in 2022.
Waste and recycling groups have remained neutral on the pick, while environmental groups have criticized Zeldin’s previous voting record on environmental issues. The League of Conservation Voters said he voted in favor of key environmental bills 14% of the time.
Among the bills he did vote in favor of, multiple were related to regulating PFAS. This included voting in 2021 for a bill that would have placed some per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances under a National Drinking Water Standard. The EPA under President Joe Biden set final drinking water standards earlier this year for multiple types of PFAS. In a report Thursday, the agency highlighted “unprecedented” progress the past three years on its PFAS strategy.
Zeldin is expected to support Trump’s environmental agenda, which is anticipated to include reversing some of Biden’s climate and environmental rules. The incoming Trump administration has also discussed potentially rescinding unspent funds from the Inflation Reduction Act, which in recent years has funded energy and climate initiatives related to biogas projects, packaging manufacturing facilities, environmental justice initiatives and more. Trump has also discussed pulling back on federal funding and initiatives meant to advance electric vehicle production.
“We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI,” Zeldin said in a statement on X. “We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water.”
Industry groups say it’s important to get Zeldin up to speed on the most pressing issues they advocate for, including a range of business, energy and technology priorities.
“As with each new administration, we are committed to working alongside both appointed and career EPA staff to ensure that our industry's issues and priorities are well understood and effectively represented,” said Michael E. Hoffman, president and CEO of the National Waste & Recycling Association, in a statement.
Amy Lestition Burke, executive director and CEO of the Solid Waste Association of North America, underscored the industry’s work on “responsible management of waste and resource management, workplace health and safety, supporting the workforce, and pursuing and testing new technologies.”
Lestition Burke further pointed out industry priorities such as the transition to EV and natural gas vehicles for fleets. “It will be important that this work can continue,” she said in an email.
“Landfill gas to energy projects and waste to energy facilities provide fuel for communities and an important revenue stream for both public and private sector owners, so SWANA will seek ongoing federal support for these projects,” she added, noting that several landfill gas projects have received funding from the IRA.
The American Chemistry Council said it “stands ready to help the administration and Congress support American innovation and supply chain resiliency,” highlighting priorities such as keeping American manufacturing competitive and creating jobs.
“We support the implementation of sensible, pro-growth, science-based policies and regulations,” said Kimberly Wise White, ACC vice president of regulatory and scientific affairs, in a statement.
The American Forest & Paper Association noted it has a “long track record” of working with the EPA and is “eager to continue our partnership to achieve shared goals."
Meanwhile, environmental groups criticized Zeldin’s nomination. They called out the previous Trump administration’s rollback of numerous EPA policies, as well as Zeldin’s record of voting against the IRA and other environmental bills during his time in Congress.
Beyond Plastics “has serious concerns about the EPA's ability to protect public health and the environment in this new administration” with Zeldin at the helm, said Judith Enck, the group's president and a former EPA regional administrator, in an email.
The Environmental Protection Network, a group of former EPA staff from both Democratic and Republican administrations, said Zeldin had a “long and alarming history of casting votes in Congress intended to weaken EPA.” The group said in a release that it is “watching closely” to see what plans Zeldin and the Trump administration will have for the agency moving forward.
The National Caucus of Environmental Legislators, a nonpartisan group that advocates for environmental legislation at the state level, was neutral on the planned nomination.
“This is a brand new pick and we as an organization don't have a specific stance or thought on that yet,” said Executive Director Dylan McDowell during a post-election policy webinar on Tuesday. “Our continued focus is looking at best practices from states and how that can help inform federal work.”
Zeldin would succeed EPA Administrator Michael Regan, who was confirmed in March 2021. The EPA’s Office of Land and Emergency Management, which oversees waste issues, has been without an official assistant administrator for years after Biden’s nominee was held up.
Zeldin, as well as any future nominee to lead OLEM, will require Senate confirmation.
