Trump picks former Rep. Lee Zeldin to be his EPA administrator

President-elect Donald Trump has tapped former New York congressman Lee Zeldin to run the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The nomination for EPA administrator will need confirmation from the Senate, where Republicans are poised to hold a majority of seats next term.

"[Zeldin] will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses," Trump said in a statement released Monday afternoon, adding that Zeldin will still maintain "the highest environmental standards."

Environmental groups decried the nomination as a step backward for environmental policy.

On the campaign trail, Trump repeatedly vowed to increase domestic production of oil and natural gas. He also criticized Democratic-led incentives for electric vehicles and pledged to reduce current climate spending.

Zeldin pointed to some of those priorities in a post on the social media site X, confirming the pick.

"We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI," Zeldin said. "We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water."

The New York Republican joins a growing list of individuals expected to be in Trump's new administration.

Zeldin, who previously represented Long Island, ran an unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign two years ago against the state's Democratic governor, Kathy Hochul.

Zeldin opposed a handful of climate-related legislation while serving in Congress, according to the environmental advocacy group League of Conservation Voters.

In a statement from Ben Jealous, who heads the environment organization Sierra Club, he characterized Zeldin as "unqualified."

"Our lives, our livelihoods, and our collective future cannot afford Lee Zeldin," he said, "or anyone who seeks to carry out a mission antithetical to the EPA's mission."