Policy & Economicsby Martina Igini
Americas
Jan 17th 20254 minsLee Zeldin, a former Republican congressman Trump picked to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, faced questions on climate change, regulations and energy production during his confirmation hearing at the US senate.—Lee Zeldin, president-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, on Thursday hesitated to answer questions about the agency’s role in reducing US reliance on fossil fuels, despite acknowledging that climate change is real and a threat.During his Senate confirmation hearing, which lasted little over three hours, the former Republican congressman faced questions on climate change, regulations and energy production.Democratic Senator Ed Markey questioned Zeldin, 44, about the role of the EPA. Citing a comment Zeldin made in 2016, Markey asked if he still believed it was the agency’s job to reduce US reliance on fossil fuels.“In an ideal world, we would be able to pursue the cleanest, greenest energy possible,” Zeldin said, without directly answering the question, prompting Markey to say his change of tone was driven by “politics, and not the science.”The senator then questioned Zeldin on a 2007 Supreme Court ruling – Massachusetts v EPA – which Markey said “mandated” the EPA to regulate greenhouse gases as air pollutants. “Do you accept that as a mandate?” the senator asked.“I just want to be accurate and in citing Massachusetts v EPA, the decision does not require the EPA, it authorizes it,” Zeldin replied.In the ruling, the Supreme Court held that the agency has indeed the authority to regulate greenhouse gases as air pollutants under the Clean Air Act. It did not mandate specific regulations but authorized the EPA to consider regulating greenhouse gases if they pose a threat to public health and welfare, effectively granting the agency the power to address climate change through regulatory action. However, the court also ruled that the EPA could not refuse to exercise this authority for policy reasons, and could only do so “if it developed a record of evidence either showing that greenhouse gases did not in fact contribute to climate change, or alternatively offering a reasonable explanation as to why the agency’s actions would be inappropriate.”You might also like: Trump’s Pick for Energy Chief Chris Wright Vows to Back All Forms of Energy During Confirmation HearingDuring the hearing, Zeldin acknowledged the reality of climate change, contrasting with previous EPA leaders under the Trump administration and Trump himself, a climate denier who repeatedly dismissed climate change as a “hoax.” The president-elect has threatened to reverse many of President Joe Biden’s climate policies, including the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) – the largest climate bill in the country’s history – and EPA regulations targeting emissions from vehicles.But Zeldin refused to