Zeldin Acknowledges Need for Climate Action
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Lee Zeldin, the nominee to head the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), told a Senate panel today that fossil fuel emissions are causing climate change, a contrast with President-elect Trump’s frequent statements that climate change is a hoax.
Trump has said that his administration would gut existing EPA standards for tailpipe and power plant pollution and undermine global efforts to address climate change. While acknowledging the scientific consensus on climate change, Zeldin declined to say if he would, in fact, repeal those existing standards.
Zeldin also said all Americans have the right to clean water but avoided specifics about addressing PFAS, plastics, and other pollutants.
The following is a statement from Manish Bapna, president of NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council):
“As the catastrophic fires in Southern California reveal once again, climate change is a clear and present crisis. It endangers our homes, increases the toxic air pollution our children breathe, and leads to stronger storms, more severe drought, and hotter heat waves.
“While President-elect Trump has trafficked in climate denial, today Lee Zeldin accepted the scientific consensus on the causes and reality of climate change and said that the EPA has the legal authority to treat greenhouse gases as a pollutant.
“This is a crucial start, but only a start. If Zeldin is serious about protecting public health and communities in harm’s way from our escalating climate crisis, then he must not weaken or repeal standards to address tailpipe, oil and gas, and power plant emissions, and protect key investments in environmental justice and resilience. Time will tell if Zeldin will live up to the statements he made today. We’ll be watching.”
NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Established in 1970, NRDC uses science, policy, law and people power to confront the climate crisis, protect public health and safeguard nature. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Beijing and Delhi (an office of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd).