How Will Congressman Lee Zeldin Help President Trump Make American Energy Great Again?

WASHINGTON DC (1/15/24) – Former Congressman Lee Zeldin will appear before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works this week to consider his nomination for EPA Administrator. This role will be critical in helping President Trump reshape U.S. energy policy and ending President Biden’s EV mandates. We offer these seven suggested questions for Senators to consider asking Congressman Zeldin during his confirmation hearing:

1. A repeated theme in environmental policy has been the inability to effectively review and revise harmful regulations. When rules are revised, the process is often held up in the courts.  How will you ensure pro-growth reforms stick? 
2. The EPA has been repeatedly criticized for using unrealistic and extreme inputs in its economic and climate models to exaggerate the benefits of the agency’s proposed rules and regulations. Will you commit to reviewing the use of RCP 8.5 for the agency’s climate modeling? Will you commit to reviewing the discount rate used to calculate the agency’s social cost of carbon?
3. At one of his campaign rallies, President Trump declared that he would end the Biden-Harris administration’s EV mandate on day one. Will you commit to ensuring that the EPA will review all rulemakings that attempt to direct the makeup of the automobile market to achieve particular political outcomes?
4. Did the Supreme Court err in its ruling in the case Massachusetts v. EPA? What is your interpretation of the ruling and how will that interpretation shape public administration at the EPA under your leadership?
5. Biden’s EPA initially proposed a phase-out of the ENERGY STAR certification for natural gas furnaces and other gas appliances, but after significant pushback opted to instead update the efficiency standards. High-efficiency natural gas appliances are often the most cost-effective and lowest emissions option for consumers. Will you commit to affirming the role of natural gas for appliances and ensuring that consumer choice is the guiding principle for determining what is efficient?
6. You received 100% on the American Energy Alliance’s 2022 American Energy Scorecard, meaning that your voting record was consistent with policies that prioritized affordable and reliable energy and consumer choice in energy markets. Can you explain your view on the role of energy in the economy and how that view will project onto your leadership at the EPA?
7. However, your American Energy Scorecard results varied in prior Congresses, dipping as low as 68%. This was largely due to votes such as those in favor of extending the wind Production Tax Credit (PTC) and the solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC) and votes that hindered the development of our domestic energy resources offshore. Do you still support those positions, and more broadly, should the federal government be in the business of subsidizing specific technologies and generating sources?

The American Energy Alliance will be scoring Congressman Zeldin’s confirmation vote on the Senate floor for our American Energy Scorecard.

AEA Experts Available For Interview On This Topic:

• Tom J. Pyle, President
• Kenny Stein, Vice President of Policy
• Alex Stevens, Manager of Policy and Communications

Additional Background Resources From AEA:

• AEA – American Energy Scorecard

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