Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin said he can “absolutely” assure the public that the various deregulation efforts undergone by the agency will not harm the environment.
Zeldin joined CBS News’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday, where he was asked if he could ensure the deregulation wouldn’t have an adverse impact.
“Absolutely,” he replied. “We have to both protect the environment and grow the economy.”
Zeldin argued that it’s what the American people are demanding out of the Trump administration. He criticized Biden-era regulations that were “targeting entire industries.”
“When the American public went to vote last November, they were talking about economic concerns, about struggling to make ends meet. That includes the cost of being able to heat their home,” he said. “The choice of whether or not to be able to heat their home or fill up their fridge with groceries or afford prescription medication.”
Zeldin’s remarks come about a month after the Trump administration unveiled a list of climate and pollution regulations they were looking to dismantle.
Under the reversed regulations are some of the Biden administration’s most championed measures, including increasing electric vehicles and quickly closing coal mines.
The Trump administration said it was considering rolling back regulations on neurotoxic mercury from power plants and general air pollution limits for soot. It will also reconsider that climate change poses a threat to the public, laying regulatory groundwork for future climate action.
The agency also indicated that it would be closing offices dedicated to fighting pollution in underserved and minority communities.
Zeldin said last month that the deregulation efforts would make it easier for Americans to buy a car and heat their homes.
Environmentalists have sounded the alarm over the administration’s plans, but Zeldin remained confident that the public and environment would not be negatively impacted.
Zeldin noted that there will be a process for public comment, and he encourages the public to “weigh in” when they have that opportunity.
“I have a zero tolerance for any waste and abuse. It is my duty to ensure that I’m an exceptional steward of tax dollars,” Zeldin later said.