Energy and climate-focused groups have mixed feelings about the new appointees selected to lead the charge on environmental issues over the next four years.
President-elect Donald Trump tapped fracking CEO Chris Wright to head the Department of Energy, while former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin was nominated to run the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Both candidates are teed up to align themselves with Trump’s position on achieving U.S. energy independence and cut back on the Biden administration’s environmental policies, such as emissions standards. When interviewed by Fox News Digital, leaders of environmental groups said that neither inspired much hope that Trump would seriously address their concerns about the future.
Zeldin previously supported environmental causes during his time in Congress, such as cleaning up Long Island Sound, which was applauded by environmental groups after he was nominated for the top administration position.
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“Lee Zeldin is deeply familiar with the environmental issues we face in the Long Island Sound region and has championed the Sound’s health as co-chair of the Long Island Sound Caucus,” Save the Sound, a group focused on stopping water pollution, and restoring wildlife habitats, said in a statement. “We appreciate Representative Zeldin’s prior support of the funding that is critical for the restoration of Long Island Sound, his role in passing the Long Island Sound Restoration and Stewardship Act, and his support for the permanent preservation of Plum Island.”
The New York League of Conservation Voters (NYLCV) also highlighted their work with Zeldin over the years on environmental issues.
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“While we did not always see eye to eye with Rep. Zeldin, we did work to find common ground on several issues during his time in office, including on Plum Island, the Great American Outdoors Act, fighting offshore drilling on the East Coast, EPA actions on PFAS, and restoring funding for Long Island Sound,” NYLCV said in a statement after Zeldin was nominated.
“The former congressman has called himself a champion for conservation within the Republican Party. He has also said he is committed to public health and that he supports energy independence. He opposed cuts to the EPA from both Democratic and Republican presidents because, he said, they would hurt the people he was in office to serve,” NYLCV continued. “For the health and wellness of the American people and given the urgency of the climate crisis, we hope his EPA will reflect these values.”
However, the Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonprofit of 250 scientists whose research is geared towards a mission to “combat climate change,” claimed that Zeldin does not have the experience for the role.
“If confirmed, Lee Zeldin would come to the crucial position of EPA administrator lacking relevant experience and has already signaled that he would put corporations over people,” Rachel Cleetus, the policy director for the Union of Concerned Scientists, said in a statement. “The EPA’s mission is to protect public health and the environment, and he must make decisions based on the best available science, not pressure from oil and gas companies seeking to expand their profits. His focus should be on cutting harmful pollution—including heat-trapping emissions—to safeguard people, the economy and ecosystems.”
Earthjustice, the San Francisco-based nonprofit that dates back to 1971, expressed skepticism that Zeldin could get rid of many of the current environmental policies of the Biden administration.
“We need a steady, experienced hand at EPA to marshal federal resources to fight climate change and utilize the full power of the law to protect communities from toxic pollution. Lee Zeldin is not that person,” Earthjustice President Abigail Dillen said, according to Roll Call. “His loyalty to Donald Trump indicates he will gladly take a sledgehammer to EPA’s most recent lifesaving regulations, putting politics over science and endangering our communities.”
Environmental groups have been widely critical of pro-fracking candidate Wright, the CEO and founder of Liberty Energy, to head the Department of Energy in Trump’s second term.
Jeff Deyette, deputy director of the climate and energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said that “the nomination of Chris Wright makes crystal clear the fossil fuel industry’s out-sized and undue influence on shaping and implementing the Trump administration’s agenda.”
“DOE must prioritize confronting the reality of the climate crisis, maintaining focus on the technological and policy innovation required to enable a rapid phase out of dirty fossil fuels and transition to clean and reliable renewable energy,” Deyette added.
Wright, who described himself as a “lifelong environmentalist,” has said that he believes climate change is an issue, but not a crisis, and accused the movement of using “deceptive marketing terms.”
“Climate change is a real problem, and I’ve been speaking on it for 20 years,” Wright said while speaking at the 2023 American Conservation Coalition Summit in Salt Lake City. “We can make progress on that. But we can’t make progress towards solving a climate challenge if we’re keeping people in poverty and not letting them rise up.”
The Sierra Club, an environmental group that “works to promote clean energy,” slammed his views on climate change.
“Not since Donald Trump’s most recent cabinet pick has a nominee ever been so utterly unqualified for the job,” Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous said of Chris Wright. “Clean air and clean water are not a priority for these people, and their reckless ideas and policies will only further harm the American people. Chris Wright is not merely unqualified, he’s a direct threat to our future and the planet’s.”
Wright is likely to push back on the Biden administration’s target to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
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