Washington — Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin said Sunday that he can “absolutely” guarantee that Trump administration deregulations will not have a negative health impact on people or the environment.
“We have to both protect the environment and grow the economy,” Zeldin stated during “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”
As part of President Trump’s pledge to unleash American energy, Zeldin announced in March that the EPA would reconsider rules in several sectors, including power plant regulations, mercury and air toxic standards aimed at coal-fired power plants, and wastewater regulations for oil and gas development. The Trump administration described the 31 deregulation actions as the “most momentous day” in EPA history.
The decisions mark the beginning of what is expected to be a multiyear effort to repeal or revise dozens of environmental regulations, much to the dismay of climate experts and advocates.
Zeldin, who previously represented New York in the House, stated at the time of the announcement that “today the green new scam ends,” while also promising that the EPA will do its part to “usher in the golden age of American success.”
On Sunday, Zeldin told senior White House correspondent Weijia Jiang on “Face the Nation” that the American people want the administration to “make sure that we are applying common sense,” arguing that regulation enacted during the Biden administration was overly broad and targeted entire industries.
“When the American public went to vote last November, they were talking about economic concerns, about struggling to make ends meet,” Zeldin told reporters. “What we’ve also heard are the costs of compliance, which amount into the trillions and what that does to the American economy as well.”
Zeldin stated that he does not prejudge outcomes, noting that there will be a process for deregulatory actions that includes public comment, and encouraging Americans to “weigh in when they have that opportunity.”
