Lee Zeldin tapped to lead Environmental Protection Agency under Trump

President-elect Donald Trump has tapped former Rep. Lee Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.

In a statement on Monday, Trump praised Zeldin's background as a lawyer and said he's known the former New York congressman for a long time.

"He will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet," Trump said. "He will set new standards on environmental review and maintenance, that will allow the United States to grow in a healthy and well-structured way."

Zeldin confirmed he had been offered the job in a social media post.

"It is an honor to join President Trump's Cabinet as EPA Administrator," Zeldin wrote on X. "We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI. We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water."

Zeldin represented Long Island's Suffolk County in the House of Representatives for eight years. He ran for governor against Democrat Kathy Hochul in 2022, earning Trump's endorsement but falling short of Hochul by 6 points.

Zeldin previously criticized the Biden-Harris administration for canceling a key permit needed for the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline and rejoining the Paris climate agreement after Trump withdrew. During his gubernatorial bid, he wanted to reverse New York state's ban on hydraulic fracking.

Zeldin will need to be confirmed by the Senate to lead the EPA.

Shortly after Trump's announcement, Zeldin appeared on Fox News' "The Story" and stressed his role within the agency would be to carry out Trump's plan to "unleash economic prosperity through the EPA."

He pledged to quickly eliminate regulations upon his arrival at the EPA, claiming existing rules are hampering businesses across the country.

"So day one and the first 100 days, we have the opportunity to roll back regulations that are forcing businesses to be able to struggle," Zeldin said. "They're forced to cut costs internally, they are moving overseas altogether to be able to bolster liquidity in the American economy, where businesses strive to grow, expand here and have the ability to export what they produce, as opposed to exporting their jobs in the company -- the companies themselves."

While vowing to cut regulations, Zeldin still insisted that Trump cares about "conserving the environment" and providing access to clean air and water.

Trump's pick of Zeldin comes less than a week after Election Day and as Trump's new administration begins to take shape.