Lee Zeldin, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to run the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), will hammer home the importance of protecting the environment without excessive regulation in his Thursday confirmation hearing.
Zeldin — a former congressman and candidate for governor in New York — will emphasize the importance of maintaining a healthy environment while also enabling the pursuit of prosperity in his opening remarks to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Thursday, according to a copy of his prepared opening statement reviewed by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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“The American people made their voices heard in November, giving President Trump a mandate to lead our nation to prosperity. I am grateful that the President-elect is giving me the opportunity to lead the EPA at this critical time,” Zeldin is expected to say, per his prepared remarks. “Our mission is simple, but essential: To protect human health and the environment. We must do everything in our power to harness the greatness of American innovation with the greatness of American conservation and environmental stewardship. We must ensure we are protecting our environment, while also protecting our economy.”
The EPA was a major vehicle for implementing the Biden administration’s massive climate agenda, pushing regulations that would force the American auto market to significantly increase electric vehicle (EV) sales over the next decade and potentially lead to the closure of numerous fossil fuel-fired power plants around the country, among others. Under President Joe Biden, the EPA also focused enormous resources on “environmental justice” and related activism, as well as indirectly financing green energy companies.
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“The American people elected President Trump last November in part due to serious concerns about upward economic mobility and their struggle to make ends meet. Too many of our fellow Americans are trapped in poverty and desperate for a whole-of-government approach to give them a hand up,” Zeldin is expected to say, per his prepared remarks. “We can, and we must, protect our precious environment without suffocating the economy. A big part of this will require building private sector collaboration to promote common sense, smart regulation that will allow American innovation to continue to lead the world.”
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First published by the Daily Caller News Foundation.