"The choice of Mr. Zeldin, a former Republican congressman of New York, to be the next E.P.A. administrator caught even some of his closest allies by surprise."
"When he ran for governor of New York two years ago, fellow Republicans privately exhorted former Representative Lee Zeldin to distance himself from Donald J. Trump and his debunked conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.
He leaned in instead, most likely dooming any chance of his winning in a Democratic-leaning state. But his loyalty did not go unrewarded: This week, President-elect Trump chose Mr. Zeldin, 44, to be the next administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
The selection caught even Mr. Zeldin’s closest allies by surprise, and sent environmentalists and their opponents alike racing to understand his record. Unlike the energy industry lobbyists Mr. Trump elevated during his first term, Mr. Zeldin is a former Army lawyer and career politician with relatively little climate or energy expertise.
But it fits a pattern emerging in Mr. Trump’s earliest cabinet-level announcements, as he turns to his most reliable boosters from New York and Florida, often over seasoned policy experts. Mr. Zeldin’s nomination came the same day that Mr. Trump tapped another prominent New York Republican, Representative Elise Stefanik, to be his ambassador to the United Nations."
Nicholas Fandos and Lisa Friedman report for the New York Times November 12, 2024.
SEE ALSO:
"Relocating EPA Headquarters Blasted As ‘Decapitation’" (E&E News)
"Meet The ‘Great Deregulator’ Trump Chose To Lead EPA" (E&E News)
"Lee Zeldin, Trump’s EPA Pick, Brings a Moderate Face to a Radical Game Plan" (Inside Climate News)
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