Groups focused on energy and climate have mixed feelings about the new appointees chosen to lead environmental issues for the next four years.
President-elect Donald Trump nominates fracking CEO Chris Wright to head Department of Energy and former New York congressman Lee Zeldin to head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) It was done.
Both candidates are weighing in on whether they align with President Trump's stance on achieving energy independence for the United States and reducing the Biden administration's environmental policies, including emissions standards. Leaders of environmental groups told Fox News Digital that both give them high hopes that Trump will take their concerns for the future seriously.
Mr. Zeldin previously supported environmental causes such as cleaning up Long Island Sound while a member of Congress, and was praised by environmental groups after he was nominated for the top administration post.
President Trump nominates Liberty Energy CEO Chris Wright to Department of Energy: “First-class engineer and entrepreneur''
President-elect Donald Trump has announced his nominee for Secretary of Energy. (Evan Vucci)
“Lee Zeldin is deeply knowledgeable about the environmental issues facing the Long Island Sound region and has championed the health of the Bay as co-chair of the Long Island Sound Executive Committee.” said in a statement. “We recognize Congressman Zeldin's past support for critical funding to restore Long Island Sound, his role in passing the Long Island Sound Restoration and Management Act, and his support for the permanent preservation of Plum Island. appreciate.”
The New York League of Conservation Voters (NYLCV) also highlighted its longstanding work with Zeldin on environmental issues.
Trump nominates former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin to head the Environmental Protection Agency
“While we have not always seen eye-to-eye with Congressman Zeldin, during his tenure we have supported Plum Island, the Great American Outdoors Act, the fight against offshore drilling on the East Coast, EPA action on PFAS, and Restoring funding to Long Island Sound,” NYLCV said in a statement after Zeldin was nominated.
“The former congressman calls himself a conservation champion within the Republican Party. He also said he is committed to public health and supports energy independence. EPA cuts by Democratic and Republican presidents. I opposed it for the following reasons.” They will end up hurting the people he was in office to serve,” NYLCV continued. “Given the health of Americans and the urgency of the climate crisis, we want his EPA to reflect these values.”
Former Congressman Lee Zeldin was nominated by President Trump to lead the EPA. (Jason DeCrow)
But the Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonprofit organization of 250 scientists whose mission is to “fight climate change,” says Zeldin doesn't have the experience to fill the role. He claimed that there was no.
“If confirmed, Lee Zeldin will fill a key position as EPA administrator with little experience, but he is already more concerned about corporations than people,” Rachel Cleetus, policy director for the Union of Concerned Scientists, said in a statement. It shows a stance of prioritizing the “EPA's mission is to protect public health and the environment, and we must make decisions based on the best available science, not pressure from oil and gas companies seeking to increase profits. EPA's focus is The goal should be to reduce harmful pollution, including heat, capture emissions and protect people, economies and ecosystems. ”
Earthjustice, a San Francisco-based nonprofit founded in 1971, expressed skepticism that Zeldin would be able to repeal many of the Biden administration's current environmental policies..
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) (left) and Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) join Donald Trump during a campaign rally at the Grappon Convention Center in Concord, New Hampshire, on January 19, 2024. New York) (right). (Chip Somodevilla)
According to Roll, Earthjustice President Abigail Dillen said, “We need a steady stream of resources to marshal federal resources to maximize the power of the law to combat climate change and protect communities from toxic pollution.” We need someone with experience at the EPA, and Lee Zeldin is not that person.” phone. “His loyalty to Donald Trump shows he is willing to put politics over science and take the hammer down on the EPA's latest life-saving regulations that endanger our communities.”
Environmental groups have widely criticized Wright, the founder and CEO of Liberty Energy, as a pro-fracking candidate for Secretary of Energy during President Trump's second term. Ta.
“Chris Wright's nomination underscores the enormous and unwarranted influence of the fossil fuel industry on shaping and implementing Trump administration policy,” said Jeff Dayette, deputy director of the Climate and Energy Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. ” he said.
“DOE will continue to focus on the technological and policy innovations needed to enable the rapid phase-out of dirty fossil fuels and the transition to clean, reliable renewable energy, while Our priority must be to confront the reality of the crisis,” Dayette added.
Wright, who describes himself as a “lifelong environmental activist,” said he believes climate change is a problem but not a crisis, and accused the movement of using “deceptive marketing language.”
“Climate change is a real problem, and I've been talking about it for 20 years,” Wright said while speaking at the 2023 American Conservation Union Summit in Salt Lake City. “We can make progress on this, but we can't make progress on solving climate change if we keep people in poverty and don't rise up.”
The Sierra Club, an environmental group “committed to promoting clean energy,” condemned his views on climate change.
Liberty Oilfield Services CEO Chris Wright laughs at the companies' IPOs on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange shortly after the opening bell rang on January 12, 2018 in New York. celebrated. (Lucas Jackson)
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“Not since Donald Trump's recent Cabinet nominations have we seen a candidate so completely unqualified for the job,” Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous said of Chris Wright. Ta. “Clean air and clean water are not priorities for these people, and their reckless ideas and policies will only further harm the American people. It is a direct threat to the future of
Mr. Wright is likely to delay the Biden administration's goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
