League of Conservation Voters urges 'no' vote on Zeldin to head up EPA

 The League of Conservation Voters urged Senate lawmakers Thursday to vote against President Donald Trump's nominee for Environmental Protection Agency administrator, Lee Zeldin, citing what they said is his 'abysmal' record on on environmental and public health safeguards while serving as a House and New York state lawmaker.

The letter focused primarily on Zeldin's "no" votes on two consequential climate and clean energy bills— the Democrat-backed Inflation Reduction Act, which allocated $369 billion for clean energy and climate spending, and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which directed billions of dollars to the EPA for the removal of all lead drinking water pipes in the U.S., set new carbon pollution standards for power plants, among many other things.

Trump vowed last year to undo the Inflation Reduction Act and other clean energy actions if elected— though it is unclear how he might do that, given that it is a law passed by Congress (and that the majority of its funds have gone to Republican-led states).

The LCV opposition to Zeldin is unsurprising, given the group's focus on issues of climate, environment, and environmental justice.

LCV is perhaps most widely known for its "National Environmental Scorecard," which ranks all members of Congress for their voting records on climate and environmental issues.

In their letter, LCV noted that Zeldin had earned just a 14% lifetime score for his votes on these issues.

"Mr. Zeldin has a lengthy voting record and many public statements that raise troubling questions about what he will prioritize, and no experience that prepares him to lead the nation’s foremost agency tasked with protecting public health and the environment," they said in the letter.