At a United States Senate confirmation hearing last Thursday, West Virginia Senator Shelley Capito read aloud a letter written by the chairman of the Suffolk County Water Authority in support of Lee Zeldin’s nomination as chief of the Environmental Protection Agency, asserting that the former congressman champions the values of the E.P.A.
“The E.P.A. requires strong leadership that balances the complexities of environmental protection with the practical needs of communities across the country,” wrote Patrick Halpin, a Democrat who has been the water authority’s chairman since 2018. “Mr. Zeldin’s track record on Long Island exemplifies his ability to lead with compassion, decisiveness, and a clear focus on results. He has already shown his dedication to the values that the E.P.A. upholds, and I’m confident he will continue to champion these priorities on a national scale.”
After reading the letter, dated Jan. 3, Senator Capito, a Republican, added that “there are no better advocates than our local advocates who actually work with us all the time, and obviously you have a very strong constituency there.” (The senator didn’t mention the letter writer’s name; Dan Dubois, the water authority’s director of communications, confirmed that it was from Mr. Halpin, a former Suffolk County executive.)
“Every American, in my opinion, and it’s just my opinion, should be able to access clean drinking water,” Mr. Zeldin said during a separate line of questioning from Senator Alex Padilla, a Democrat from California.
Mr. Zeldin represented the East End in Congress from 2015 to 2023, and was a New York State senator for two two-year terms, first winning election in 2010. Before that, he served in the Army, attaining the rank of second lieutenant, and then entered the Army Reserve.
In 2022, Mr. Zeldin took a shot at running for New York State governor, challenging incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul, a race he ultimately lost, despite gathering the highest raw vote for a Republican in a gubernatorial election in the state since 1970.
For several hours, members of the Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee, of which Senator Capito is chairwoman, questioned the former First Congressional District representative, who was nominated for the E.P.A. post by then-President-elect Trump, hitting topics ranging from clean water to wildfire to oil and gas.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham asked Mr. Zeldin about his time on the House Climate Solutions Caucus, at which point Mr. Zeldin brought up his home district.
“I represented a district where I was hearing from constituents on both sides of the aisle of how important it is,” Mr. Zeldin said of the caucus, before being cut off by Senator Graham. Shortly after, he added, “I was doing everything I could to fulfill their priorities, their policies.”
The senator then asked Mr. Zeldin if his former constituents were concerned about the environment, to which he answered, “Very much so.”
The former congressman’s record with the First District again came up when Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester, a Democrat from Delaware, asked about watershed restoration and access to clean water.
“In some respects, it could be an aspect of congressionally directed spending I’ve seen go to a particular community where they are able to mitigate an issue of water contamination, as we experienced in Suffolk County, where my congressional district was located and where we had multiple aspects of PFAS contamination,” Mr. Zeldin answered. “The first step is to be able to get access to drinking water.”
Senate Democrats, though, pressed Mr. Zeldin on the issue of climate change, with the former congressman eventually declaring, “I believe that climate change is real.”
Climate change again came up when Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat, asked the nominee about the effect of carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels. Mr. Zeldin dodged at first.
“While I am someone who believes strongly that science and policymakers should work together, I think we have many talented scientists who provide that research,” he said. After further questioning, he allowed, “Greenhouse gases trap heat.”
Mr. Zeldin frequently returned to several key points, for example the necessity of interagency cooperation and the importance of following the law as E.P.A. administrator.
When pressed on the issue of rising sea levels as a result of climate change, Mr. Zeldin returned to the first point: “This is a topic that involves multiple agencies working together. The E.P.A. being able to do its part is very important.”
Further, Senator Whitehouse pursued a line of questioning on campaign finance. (Over the course of his career, Mr. Zeldin has received around $269,000 for his campaigns from those in the oil and gas industry, according to OpenSecrets, an organization that tracks campaign finances.) How would Mr. Zeldin distance himself from corporate interests?
“It is important for me to have always been able to approach this position with a clear conscience to make decisions that I can live with for my entire life,” Mr. Zeldin said. “There is no dollar, large or small, that can influence the decisions I make.”
The hearing concluded with Senator Capito declaring, “You will be an excellent administrator to the E.P.A., and your confirmation will be very positive.”
Next, the nomination will go to the Senate at large for consideration before a final vote.
