Assemblymember Deborah J. Glick’s Statementon Lee Zeldin, EPA Administrator, Announcing the End of Environmental Protections
March 13, 2025
Lee Zeldin, Trump’s EPA Administrator, boldly proclaimed that the job of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was to “lower the cost of buying a car, heating a home and running a business.” Abandoning the key role of protecting the environment and public health, Zeldin seems committed to raising the cost of healthcare, while damaging every Americans’ personal health by allowing industry to pollute the air and water without fear of government intervention.
The obvious signs of climate crisis–extreme weather events–will be ignored because Zeldin is committed to lowering the cost of “heating a home,” which will be cold comfort when your home floats away and even more problematic when your inability to obtain home-owners insurance wipes out your investment in your home. The EPA will no longer seek to ensure that one state’s desire to allow its industries to freely pollute the air doesn’t blow that pollution over to other states–that agency rule, like any consideration of climate change impacts, is out the window.
Zeldin’s assertion at his confirmation hearing that he would follow the science can be added to the pile of lies sworn under oath from the Trump nominees dating back to his first term and the nominees to the Supreme Court.
New York State has been a leader on environmental stewardship, and our commitment to protecting our air and water will not diminish. It is incumbent on all New Yorkers–and all Americans–to speak out to defend our hard won gains on behalf of wildlife, marine life, and Mother Earth.
