▶ 0:15:13Chair Capito: Your interest in what is going on in not just our committee but on capitol hill and around the country. I'm excited to welcome all of you to the epw committee hearing, the first one of the 119th congress, and my first as the chairman. I like this little sign, I must admit. This is also the first year and I will have as center-right -- senator whitehouse as the ranking member.
▶ 0:15:43Chair Capito: Like me, senator whitehouse has served on the epw committee since he came to the senate. He is a passion and vocal advocate on behalf of rhode island and of his constituents and a great partner here on this enmity and delivering legislative solutions to the american public.
▶ 0:16:01Chair Capito: I'm proud of our previous efforts that we have worked together to move bipartisan legislation forward such as laws to support carbon capture utilization and sequestration technology as well as the advanced act which we passed and work together on several years, finally got it over the finish line last year, and it was signed into law working to modernize the nuclear regulatory commission. My partnership with ranking member whitehouse on these issues reflect a broader tradition of this epw committee.
▶ 0:16:30Chair Capito: Quite honestly, we have some tough issues here where we have strong disagreement but we always want to find common ground. This committee has a strong legacy of working together to pass bipartisan legislation to improve our nation's infrastructure, invest in our water systems and help clean up our environment. I look forward to continuing the strong bipartisan decision as the chairman working with the committee members and all members to address issues within a jurisdiction of this congress.
▶ 0:16:57Chair Capito: This morning we will hear from president trump's nominee to lead the environmental protection agency, former congressman lee zeldin. Welcome. Congressman zeldin has served our nation honorably in the U.S. army first on active duty and then in the army reserve. In 2014, congressman zeldin was elected to the house of representatives where he served the state of new york for eight years.
▶ 0:17:23Chair Capito: Throughout his 10 year in the house of representatives, congressman zeldin championed critical environmental policies that helped his long island district. He supported legislation to boost innovation for clean energy, technologies and policies to strengthen our nation's energy security. I enjoyed meeting congressman zeldin to hear about his experience and vision for how he would prioritize the agency's work on -- as the epa administrator. I believe the epa must return to its core missions.
▶ 0:17:53Chair Capito: The epa also should better manage taxpayer dollars by doing more with the vast funding that congress provides. That means reducing of course bureaucratic red tape, so the state agencies responsible for protecting our nation's air, land, and water can do so without washington, D.C. getting in the way. Doing so will lead to those state agencies efficiently improving our drinking water systems and issuing relevant air, land, and water permits.
▶ 0:18:23Chair Capito: It also means prioritizing the epa's attention toward issues that will help americans in their daily lives. When the epa focuses on what it does best, it doesn't just benefit the environment, it benefits our economic growth. For example, the agency should prioritize cleaning up brownfields and superfund sites to facilitate new economic develop and of those locations. Many of those which are located in rural and distressed areas.
▶ 0:18:49Chair Capito: I look forward to hearing congressman zeldin's plan to build on the work initiated by the first trump administration including the epa which took the first step to address legacy pfas contaminants. As the agency fulfills its obligation under our nation bedrock environmental laws, the administrator should also take into account the affordability and electric reliability.
▶ 0:19:15Chair Capito: Recently the organization reliable -- responsible for ensuring reliability found that half of the states in the U.S. could experience rolling blackouts in the next decade because of the lack of a reliable power capacity. There is at risk included new england, the midatlantic, california, midwest, and the great plains. The reliability risk is due to the projected retirement of this magical power plants compiled with a 15% increase in electricity demand over the next decade.
▶ 0:19:46Chair Capito: Critically this demand cannot be met solely with intermittent energy generation. Spiking energy costs and rolling blackouts are in an acceptable fact if the U.S. is to continue as a global leader. Action that policymakers and regulators take now will determine whether america thrives in an era with a cleaner environment, energy abundance, lower cost, and economic prosperity, or face it with a path of scarcity, inflation, and stagnation.
▶ 0:20:15Chair Capito: I support the first option I named and I believe the nominee does as well. I have confidence the epa under congressman zeldin's leadership will focus on the ep's core mission to protect human health and the environment while acknowledging the agency plays in our economic and international leadership. In doing so, the epa can make great progress in addressing key environmental challenges consistent with the authorities that congress has given the agency.
▶ 0:20:42Chair Capito: I look forward to discussing these issues with congressman sultan today and I now recognize our ranking member senator whitehouse for his opening statement.
▶ 0:20:49Sen. Whitehouse: Thank you, madam chair. Three things. First, I'd like to let everyone know that I like the chairman. [laughter] that is a good start. In that context, I would like to present her as the new chairman, this gavel.
▶ 0:21:12Sen. Whitehouse: It was made in 1956 of wood from the old west virginia state house by the mckinley vocational high school in wheeling, west virginia. It was presented to the then governor of west virginia hewlett swift who kept it upon his departure, he was term limited out.
▶ 0:21:38Sen. Whitehouse: That was significant, among other reasons, it opened the office to the chairman's father, archie moore. Madam chair, may you bang it in good health.
▶ 0:21:49Chair Capito: Thank you. [applause] very nice. Thank you.
▶ 0:21:55Sen. Whitehouse: Second, we have indeed worked well together. We have together successfully advanced nuclear energy reform. We have together successfully encouraged and expanded carbon capture. And the highway bill's present big bipartisan opportunities for more work together. I even hope together we can revive permitting reform. So there is plenty of good opportunity.
▶ 0:22:23Sen. Whitehouse: And as I speak to bipartisan matters, let me also welcome senator curtis, our newly elected member of this committee on the republican side. Last, I want to show everyone this map of my home state. The bright green parts are parts that are destined to flood permanently underwater, lost to the sea in decades ahead.
▶ 0:22:56Sen. Whitehouse: Congressman zeldin will be familiar with this risk from his home, suffolk county. Also fuel pollution is the cause of that. It will change the map of my state, and it will do is crippling economic damage. As I see it, we have been through three eras on climate. First was the era of science. Scientists, our headlights, did their job, predicting accurately what would happen.
▶ 0:23:23Sen. Whitehouse: Nasa scientists, academic scientists, ipcc scientists, excellent scientists, they did their job. Next came the era of politics where it was our job to heed the warnings of science and head of those dangers. We failed badly. And for the worst of all reasons. We succumb to a mass delivered campaign of lies and corruption by the polluters themselves. That failure ushers in now and era of consequences. Consequences we should have headed off but didn't.
▶ 0:23:54Sen. Whitehouse: It is beginning, creeping inflation, as good become harder to produce and ship, in upended weather patterns. It's up pot is already in forward-looking industries like insurance. Good luck with property insurance in florida and california. The worst danger is systemic economic crashes.
▶ 0:24:17Sen. Whitehouse: One widely warned of an economic literature is the carbon bubble, bursting when the international oil cartel or the massive government subsidies cease propping up fossil fuel and stranded assets lose all value and the resulting shock cascades into the global economy.
▶ 0:24:37Sen. Whitehouse: The other upon us already is climate risk, making property insurance unaffordable or unavailable which in turn makes mortgages unavailable, which in turn crashes property values. Remember this map. Before all that land went underwater, it would become uninsurable. And that is still water flooding.
▶ 0:25:05Sen. Whitehouse: Throw in big storms and there is a whole coastal uninsured ability problem coming. The chief of freddie mac says that this make crash through the economy like the 2008 recession. And that coastal danger is now matched by western wildfire risk like we are seeing now in los angeles, launching the same insurance to mortgaged property values collapse.
▶ 0:25:33Sen. Whitehouse: Let's be clear, we are in this perilous place because a campaign of lies and corruption and pollution delivered deliberately and at the industrial scale by the fossil fuel industry was accomplished through an armada of paid front groups. So we are clear, it is not just me warning of significant economic harms ahead. I will circulate to all colleagues -- lucky you -- this compendium of the published warnings for you and all of your staff to review.
▶ 0:26:04Sen. Whitehouse: This threat is real. If a sharp-I'd cap been on the titanic had been there that night to see the iceberg ahead, you would expect him to do everything he could to fight his way to the captain's table and warn of the impending disaster. So please understand that map of my state and the sense of urgency that I feel.
▶ 0:26:27Sen. Whitehouse: I am confident that the chairman would equal me in energy and determination for any similar dangers to her mountain state. So it is through this lens of urgency that I approach is not a hearing. President trump has called climate change a hoax.
▶ 0:26:47Sen. Whitehouse: While running for president, he met with fossil fuel executives who told him he should give him a million dollars for reducing climate change productions. Indeed, fossil fuel companies and executives lavished millions of dollars on the trump campaign and affiliated organizations. The special interests now expect a return on their political investment. They expect a reversal of the already limited protections we have for our air and water.
▶ 0:27:15Sen. Whitehouse: Make no mistake, not only would oversee these protections harm our air, water, public health, and climate, doing so would cost americans money. They would be's force to spend more to fuel their cars, buy their groceries, heat and cool their homes and businesses. That is money that would go from every hard-working american wallet into the accounts of billionaire fossil fuel barons and giant oil companies. The question for Mr.
▶ 0:27:39Sen. Whitehouse: Zeldin before us as president trump's nominee to run the environmental protection agency is simple, will he follow the signs in economics and protect our air, water, and climate? Or will he merely be a rubber stamp for looters and polluters who are setting the trump agenda?
▶ 0:27:57Sen. Whitehouse: I must say that as polluter organizations such as the american policy institute and america first works, a long list of trump affiliated consulting clients and up as paid for by dark money organizations do not give me confidence that he will be an honest broker if confirmed to lead epa. I really want this to work. That is how high the stakes are. I am not here trying to score points.
▶ 0:28:27Sen. Whitehouse: I am here trying to steer us away from what I see as a calamity ahead. I will therefore be watching closely today to see if congressman zeldin is able to differentiate himself in any substantive ways from the polluter agenda and the polluter agenda and economic crashes likely to ensue. Thank you, madam chair. Here is to a productive relationship in this important committee.
▶ 0:28:50Chair Capito: Thank you, senator. Thank you for the gavel. That has great meaning to me. I'm actually from the northern part of the state where it was made. I will now introduce senator barrasso who will introduce congressman zeldin.
▶ 0:29:07Sen. Barrasso: , members of the committee, thank you for allowing me to be here today to introduce congressman lee zeldin who has been nominated to be the administrator of the environmental protection agency. Epa is very important to wyoming and to the nation. It's responsible for protecting our air, water, and our communities. Americans deserve clean air and clean water. They also deserve clear rules and common sense from the government. Over the last four years, they have gotten neither.
▶ 0:29:39Sen. Barrasso: The epa has push policies that kill jobs in wyoming and raise the cost for families across the nation. It has also pursued rules that shut down power generation and threatened electric reliability. American should be able to take for granted that the lights will go on when they flipped the switch. They should know that those making the rules understand that their livelihoods depend on a balanced and measured approach. Instead the approach over the last four years has been based solely on radical environmentalists.
▶ 0:30:09Sen. Barrasso: Congressman zeldin will correct the course of the epa. He has been highly motivated from a young age, graduating from law school at age 23. He has over 23 years of military experience and service and still counting because lt. Col.
▶ 0:30:23Sen. Barrasso: Zeldin has a range of experience in the army, a military intelligence officer, prosecutor, military magistrate, a veteran of operation iraqi freedom where he served in the army's 82nd airborne division as a paratrooper, and just last weekend was an army reserve duty. Public service doesn't end there. In addition to his time in the U.S. congress, he served in the new york state senate.
▶ 0:30:51Sen. Barrasso: He knows firsthand how important it is for the federal government to be a partner to states rather than an out of touch regulator. This is the dedication and understanding that lee zeldin will bring to the epa. His experience shows that he knows how to balance multiple priorities. He understands that we must be good stewards of the environment without crippling the economy. Many organizations both public and private agree that lee is the right person for the job.
▶ 0:31:21Sen. Barrasso: One of those organizations is the national association of clean water agencies. In a letter to the committee, the association said, he has shown a willingness to engage with a broad spectrum of stakeholders to address pressing issues. This approach is critical for achieving epa mission in a way that balances environmental protection, they say, and pragmatic public policy and limitation.
▶ 0:31:46Sen. Barrasso: His strong support from his committee back home, the long island water conference has said, "we are offering our strong support for fellow long are and new yorker lee zeldin." they go on to say, we believe Mr. zeldin's experience will provide a balanced approach to the regulatory process. This will ultimately provide effective protection of public health and the environment.
▶ 0:32:12Sen. Barrasso: And reading this about a balanced approach reminded me, and cynthia may have been there as a young girl, in 1960 three, john kennedy, president of the united states came to wyoming. He came with stewart udall, his sec. Of interior, a conservation tour of the west.
▶ 0:32:33Sen. Barrasso: Stewart udall, the interior department is now -- the building is named after him and his son tom served with many of us on this committee, sat right there where senator padilla is right now. I brought this picture that has been hanging on my wall in the office in d307, and it is john kennedy in the fieldhouse of the university of wyoming addressing the largest indoor arena we had, largest standing only crowd in 1963 as part of his conservation tour.
▶ 0:33:02Sen. Barrasso: What john kennedy said that day, we must maintain a living balance between man's actions and natures reactions. And that is the kind of job that I believe z delton will do for our nation at the epa, maintained a living balance. So I share this organization, long island water conference, their confidence that lee zeldin will lead the epa in a more balanced and evenhanded direction.
▶ 0:33:34Sen. Barrasso: Lee, congratulations on your nomination. I look forward to working with you on these important issues. Once again, thank the committee for letting me join you today. Thank you, madam chair.
▶ 0:33:43Chair Capito: As a former chair of this committee, we welcome you back any time. We are going to switch seats and asked the nominee to come forward.
▶ 0:34:19Chair Capito: We didn't want your first utterances to be as a john barrasso imitator, so we want to make sure we have the right name. Welcome to the committee, Mr. zeldin. I look forward to your opening statement. Thank you.
▶ 0:34:34Mr. Zeldin: Thank you, chairman r, ranking member whitehouse, all the distinguished members of this committee. It's been an honor to meet with all of you to learn more about your highest priorities. I look forward to working with all senators on this committee, on both sides of the aisle, to tackle the most pressing issues facing our country. I humbly set before you nominated to serve as the 17th administrator of the environmental protection agency.
▶ 0:35:05Mr. Zeldin: The american people made their voices heard in november, giving president trump a mandate to lead our nation to prosperity. I'm grateful the president elect is giving me the opportunity to lead the epa at this critical time. Our mission is simple but essential. To protect human health and the environment. We must do everything in our power to harness the greatness of american innovation with the greatness of american conservation and environmental stewardship.
▶ 0:35:36Mr. Zeldin: We must ensure we are protecting the environment while also protecting our economy. Throughout my life, I've been privileged to hold such titles as congressman, state senator, lieutenant colonel butz, but none have meant more to me than husband, son, father. While one of my identical twin daughters arianna is now back at college, I'm excited to be joined here today by my wife diana and our daughter michaela, as well as my mother merrill.
▶ 0:36:08Mr. Zeldin: The american people need leaders who can find common ground to solve the urgent issues we face. I want my daughters, your loved ones, every child across the country to thrive in a world with clean air, clean water, and boundless opportunity. If confirmed, I pledged to enthusiastically uphold the epa's mission. I will foster a collaborative culture within the agency, supporting career staff who have dedicated themselves to this mission.
▶ 0:36:39Mr. Zeldin: I strongly believe we have a moral responsibility to be good stewards of our environment for generations to come. It has been so motivating to see the tremendous talent stepping up to serve in the epa. I couldn't be more excited to partner with our epa team nationwide to exceptionally serve the american public. I had the honor of working with many of you when I represented new york's first congressional district.
▶ 0:37:08Mr. Zeldin: My district on the eastern end of long island was unique in that it was almost completely surrounded by water. My constituents took environmental issues seriously and I developed a record in congress fighting hard and with great success in advancing their local priorities. I worked across party lines to preserve the long island sound and plum island. I supported key legislation that became historic bipartisan success stories like the great american outdoors act.
▶ 0:37:40Mr. Zeldin: Senator sullivan, white house, save our seas act, to clean up plastics from our oceans. Whether it was leading the fight for combating pfas in drinking water, voting for the hot brew chemical safety act or's supporting clean energy on long island, I was proud to do these things in securing environmental victories.
▶ 0:38:01Mr. Zeldin: Georgetown university's lugar center consistently ranked me as one of the most bipartisan members of congress, to that end, I joined the bipartisan solutions caucus to tackle the challenges of a changing climate. If confirmed, I want to work with all of you to address the unique environmental issues facing your state. Not only do I want to partner with you, I want to learn from you. I ask you all what a former administrator asked a great chairman of this committee from my home state, senator daniel patrick moynihan.
▶ 0:38:33Mr. Zeldin: What advice would you give me as they undertake to lead epa? I look forward to having this discussion from each of you. The epa must be better stewards of tax dollars, on her cooperative federalism, and be transparent and accountable to congress and the public. The american people elected president trump last november in part due to serious concerns about upward economic mobility and their struggle to make ends meet.
▶ 0:39:00Mr. Zeldin: Too many of our fellow americans are trapped in poverty and desperate for a whole of government approach to give them a hand up. We can and we must protect our precious environment without suffocating the economy. A big part of this will require building private sector collaboration to promote common sense smart regulation that will allow american innovation to continue to lead the world.
▶ 0:39:24Mr. Zeldin: If confirmed, under the epa, with my leadership we will prioritize compliance as much as possible. I believe in the rule of law and I want to work with people to ensure they do their part to protect our environment. Success is the fine for many including me, leaving this world better than we found it. I want every child in this nation including my daughters and your children to inherit a world with clean air, clean water, and a thriving economy.
▶ 0:39:55Mr. Zeldin: This mission must transcend politics. I look forward to working with all of you to achieve it. I thank you, chairman r, ranking member whitehouse, all the members of this committee. Eager to answer your questions and discuss the issues facing your constituents.
▶ 0:40:09Chair Capito: Thank you. We are now ready to begin with the question importance of the witness. Senator whitehouse and I have agreed to have two rounds of five minutes of questioning. Let's try to keep our questioning within five minutes and respect for everyone's time. This committee has three standing yes or no questions it asks all nominees who appear before the committee so I want to ask you the three questions.
▶ 0:40:34Chair Capito: Do you agree if confirmed to appear before this committee or designated members of this committee and other appropriate committees of this congress to provide information subject to appropriate and necessary security protections with respect to your response abilities?
▶ 0:40:46Mr. Zeldin: Yes.
▶ 0:40:47Chair Capito: Do you agree to ensure testimony briefings, documents, other forms of communication information are provided to this committee and its staff and other appropriate? Committees in a timely manner
▶ 0:40:59Mr. Zeldin: Yes.
▶ 0:41:00Chair Capito: Finally, do you know of any matters in which you may or may not have disclosed that may place you in a conflict of interest if you are confirmed?
▶ 0:41:08Mr. Zeldin: No.
▶ 0:41:10Chair Capito: Thank you. All right. I will begin questioning and then go to the ranking member. In my opening statement, I talked about reliability issues and affordability issues as we see, face the future here.
▶ 0:41:26Chair Capito: During the last four years, the epa issued a number of rules, numbers of rules including the clean power plant 2.0, which was intentionally designed to impose massive new costs on reliable coal-fired and natural gas plants in a deliberate effort to shut these plants down. Unsurprisingly over the same period of time, the cost of energy skyrocketed 23% over the last four years.
▶ 0:41:54Chair Capito: Now our nation's electric reliability experts, the north american electric reliability corporation, forecasts over half of the united states could face potential electrical shortages and blackouts in the next decade. This is a dire situation on the reliability. This demand is driven by our on shoring of our manufacturing and powering data centers and other things to win the artificial intelligence race.
▶ 0:42:20Chair Capito: Congressman sultan, as you oversee and implement the epa's statutory obligation to protect public health and the environment, will you also ensure that the agency takes into account the electric reliability and energy affordability impacts on businesses and american families that need it to keep their lights on and heat their homes?
▶ 0:42:39Mr. Zeldin: Yes, absolutely.
▶ 0:42:42Chair Capito: What is your vision for fulfilling the epa's statutory mission particularly in the context of getting the agency reoriented back to the basics of protecting communities from air, water, and chemical pollutions and cleaning up contaminated sites? What ideas do you have moving forward?
▶ 0:43:02Mr. Zeldin: Chairman, it's important that the epa is honoring our obligations under the law, fulfilling the historic landmark laws on the books, like the clean air act, the clean water act, safe drinking water act. It's important that the epa is accountable and transparent to all of you here on this committee.
▶ 0:43:26Mr. Zeldin: It's important that we are working closely in collaboration with career staff at the epa and working closely with other agencies where there is overlapping jurisdiction. To make sure that we are following our new obligations under the law as congress and ask new laws moving forward.
▶ 0:43:44Mr. Zeldin: To make sure we are abiding by the administrative procedures act that as administrator, I am not prejudging outcomes, that I'm making sure that our actions are durable, that they are able to withstand scrutiny, and that at the end of the day, I can sit before you at further hearings and be able to account for my actions as administrator and our actions as an agency.
▶ 0:44:09Mr. Zeldin: I look forward to working with all of you to make sure that congress' intent is filled and that we also honor the lobar break decision that was just issued by the supreme court to make sure that it is in fact congress's intent that is being implemented and it is not us as an agency filling in any gaps however we might see fit. It requires a closer collaboration not just internally within the agency but with each and every one of you as well.
▶ 0:44:38Chair Capito: Thank you. I should have welcomed your wife diana, daughter michaela coel mother merrill, but we know that your daughter is watching from afar. I want to talk about pfas. West virginians have had first-hand experience with pfas contamination. Everyone has, I think we discovered it a little earlier.
▶ 0:45:03Chair Capito: We tried last session to get some leading legislative efforts to try and protect essential service providers and american taxpayers from costly litigation liabilities. A very complicated issue, as you know. But it speaks to one of the core missions of the epa which is safe drinking water. I understand your new york district has actually experienced the negative effects of pfas pollution.
▶ 0:45:28Chair Capito: If confirmed, how do you plan to address the growing problem of pfas contamination?
▶ 0:45:35Mr. Zeldin: Chairman, when I was in the house, I was a member of the pfas task force, also voted for the pfas action act. Epa has important responsibility to make sure that our obligations are implemented correctly. That is something that, through our enforcement and compliance, we have to ensure that we are moving the needle all across this entire country.
▶ 0:46:01Mr. Zeldin: There are cleanup projects large and small across america where many americans have been waiting decades, generations for that leadership and action. So working with all of you to deal with these issues in your home state is something that will be top priority of mine.
▶ 0:46:18Chair Capito: Thank you. I will turn it over to the ranking member.
▶ 0:46:22Sen. Whitehouse: Thanks. Before I get to my questions, if you would be kind enough to entertain a unanimous consent request to put the documents into the record. I will not put this beast into the record, spare everybody that, but I will be circulating to your offices. I would like to put into the record the cover article from "the economist" magazine this april a warning of the next housing disaster coming from that climate risk to insurance, property values cascade.
▶ 0:46:51Chair Capito: Without objection.
▶ 0:46:53Sen. Whitehouse: I would also like to put in the report summarizing the budget committee on the same insurance crisis.
▶ 0:47:00Chair Capito: Without objection.
▶ 0:47:02Sen. Whitehouse: Also a letter here from citizens for response ability at the oaks in washington regarding the zelda nomination.
▶ 0:47:11Chair Capito: Without objection.
▶ 0:47:13Sen. Whitehouse: Finally a letter dated january 15, 2025 submitted by the climate action campaign, signed by over 17 environmental organizations concerning the nomination.
▶ 0:47:24Chair Capito: Without objection.
▶ 0:47:26Sen. Whitehouse: Thank you. Mr. zeldin, welcome. As we discussed when we met, I said I was going to ask you some really basic, no-trick questions about climate change. Let me just start with those. First as a matter of law, is carbon dioxide a pollutant?
▶ 0:47:45Mr. Zeldin: Thank you, senator. I enjoyed the meeting with your team and look forward to working with all of you. As far as carbon dioxide admitted, from that question I would say no. As far as carbon dioxide that is embedded in larger masses that we hear concern about from scientists as well as from congress, that is something that certainly needs to be focused on for the epa.
▶ 0:48:11Sen. Whitehouse: As a matter of law, is it is -- it is a designated pollutant, correct?
▶ 0:48:18Mr. Zeldin: Senator, while carbon dioxide is not one of the six named in the clean air act, the epa has been treating it as such.
▶ 0:48:27Sen. Whitehouse: Because of the supreme court decision that said so.
▶ 0:48:31Mr. Zeldin: Correct.
▶ 0:48:32Sen. Whitehouse: What effect, in layman terms, are carbon dioxide emissions from carbon dioxide combustion having in the atmosphere?
▶ 0:48:43Mr. Zeldin: Senator, while I am someone who believes strongly that we should work with the scientists leading the science, leaving the policy to the policymakers, that we all work together, I don't sit before you as a scientist. Fortunately at epa we have many talented scientists who provide that research. They have that talent to be able to tell us exactly what the metrics are of their research.
▶ 0:49:10Sen. Whitehouse: Just generally in layman's terms, what effects do these carbon dioxide emissions have in the atmosphere?
▶ 0:49:17Mr. Zeldin: Trapping heat, senator.
▶ 0:49:20Sen. Whitehouse: Again briefly, in layman's terms, does methane leakage from fossil fuel production and transport have in the atmosphere?
▶ 0:49:31Mr. Zeldin: Same. Heat trapping also.
▶ 0:49:35Sen. Whitehouse: From the ocean state, so I have to ask this one. What effect are carbon dioxide emissions having on the oceans?
▶ 0:49:45Mr. Zeldin: The emissions of greenhouse gases trap heat, senator. As far as you're concerned that you expressed in the onset of your testimony, you showed a map of rhode island. As you suggested, as I mentioned, I represent the district on the east end of long island, rising sea levels are a concern where I'm from him as well.
▶ 0:50:11Mr. Zeldin: It's one of those reasons why the federal government through the army corps had to invest in a project with the revetment of a lighthouse, with fear that it would collapse into the ocean.
▶ 0:50:25Sen. Whitehouse: Is it correct that the trap heat from carbon dioxide emissions and methane in the atmosphere is heating up the oceans? In fact 90% of the heat goes into the oceans and that is what is producing the sea level rise you just discussed?
▶ 0:50:39Mr. Zeldin: That is what the scientists tell me, senator.
▶ 0:50:43Sen. Whitehouse: Are the oceans also absorbing 30% of the carbon dioxide themselves and therefore chemically turning more acid in measurable and clear ways?
▶ 0:50:52Mr. Zeldin: Senator, as far as specific numbers, I have to defer to the research of the scientists.
▶ 0:50:59Sen. Whitehouse: Generally that is happening, a link between fossil fuel emissions and acidification of the oceans.
▶ 0:51:06Mr. Zeldin: Yes, senator, I understand there is some litigation that I cannot comment on as epa administrator but to the general question, yes.
▶ 0:51:16Sen. Whitehouse: Have we hit the 1.5 degree risk threshold? Why is that important?
▶ 0:51:23Mr. Zeldin: Senator, as far as being able throughout today's hearing to be able to personally be citing and confirming specific numbers, that is something where I have to defer to the talented scientists, to be able to provide that advice on an ongoing basis whether or not we are hitting numbers at any given time.
▶ 0:51:43Sen. Whitehouse: If you are confirmed, what are the key either climate or ocean tipping points that would concern you?
▶ 0:51:55Mr. Zeldin: As far as the tipping point, senator, as you put up a map of your district and state, I could put up a map of mine. We could do this across the entire country. As long as that concern exists where there is in fact rising sea levels -- I hear it from both sides of the aisle. Senator collins spoke about it.
▶ 0:52:18Sen. Whitehouse: One last question before my time runs out. I'm sorry. Are we now on a pathway to climate safety or do we need to do more to reduce carbon emissions in order to get on that pathway?
▶ 0:52:32Mr. Zeldin: Senator, united states emissions have been going down over the course of the last couple decades. Unfortunately, there are other countries where it is not going in the same direction. I would say that we will have never done enough to ensure that our water and our air is clean, safe, and healthy. Whatever we do every day to achieve this objective, we need to wake up the next day looking for ways to do more.
▶ 0:52:58Chair Capito: Let me just explain to the committee since this is my first rodeo here what we are going to do, whoever is here at the gavel, we will put you in line for questioning in order of seniority on the dais. If you come in after I gavel down, you'll be placed in line for questions. Certainly if people need adjustments, we can look at that, but that will be the tradition of the committee we agreed on. We will go to senator cramer.
▶ 0:53:28Sen. Cramer: Thank you, chair capito, senator whitehouse, for assuming these positions. Thank you as well, Mr. zeldin, thank you for stepping up and taking on this big challenge.
▶ 0:53:50Sen. Cramer: I know that chair capito has already talked about what is a really important issue for me and a lot of us, and that is an appropriate cooperative federalism law between the state and federal governments. There is a lot of opportunity to do that the right way, a lot of opportunity to do with the wrong way at the epa.
▶ 0:54:15Sen. Cramer: I will point to one specific case that I think you are probably familiar with, and that is concerning the waters of the united states. You are no doubt aware of that legal, what I call, fiasco talking about the definition of waters surrounding the united states. Litigation ping-pong for a long time. So the first question is a simple one, Mr. zeldin.
▶ 0:54:40Sen. Cramer: When you read the decision authored by justice alito, would you describe it as prescriptive or ambiguous as it comes to the definition of federally jurisdiction water?
▶ 0:54:52Mr. Zeldin: It was clear and prescriptive.
▶ 0:54:55Sen. Cramer: When the decision was issued, the biden administration officials even told me that the direction from the supreme court was clear that they didn't leave a lot of ambiguity. Here is one portion I wanted to chat with you about. I believe it is particularly instructive should you can be confirmed.
▶ 0:55:17Sen. Cramer: "finally it is also finally instructed that the clean water act expressly protects the primary responsibility and rights of states to prevent, reduce, and eliminate pollution and to plan the development and use of land and water resources.
▶ 0:55:35Sen. Cramer: It is hard to see how the state's role in regulating water resources would remain primary if the epa had jurisdiction over anything defined by the presence of water." I was tempted to bring in a poster but in previous definitions, going back and forth, there is one that sa ckett, where it would be
▶ 0:56:05Sen. Cramer: Relevant, where the entire state of north dakota was basically a federal island. We are a semiarid state. With badlands, big prairies. Should you be confirmed, it would be really good if the administrator took its decision and the legislative history behind it and started rulemaking process post sackett with the assumption that states have primacy and primary responsibility for water within
▶ 0:56:35Sen. Cramer: Their states, not the federal government. How do you intend to approach that? This post-sackett definition will be really important.
▶ 0:56:47Mr. Zeldin: Yes, senator. With any rulemaking, as you know, not allowed to prejudge outcomes going in. It's important that corners are not cut, where durability is sacrificed. Laws are written by congress and there are cases that have come up from the supreme court that provide the epa with clear guidance on how we must do our job under the law.
▶ 0:57:13Mr. Zeldin: It is important that when you are going back to your home state and speaking to your farmers, that you are able to, with confidence, be able to explain to them that the federal government is doing our part so that they can define what waters of the U.S. are without having to go hire an attorney or someone else to pay a lot of money to ensure compliance.
▶ 0:57:36Mr. Zeldin: So I will make sure that I'm doing my part at the epa, honoring the decision of sackett and any future laws to come out of congress. That is my commitment to you. I know that was important when I met with senator sullivan talking about alaskan wetlands, so many other people on this committee. I look forward to working with you on that.
▶ 0:57:57Sen. Cramer: Great answer, I appreciate it very much. One thing that concerns me, realizing with regard to this, you have two agencies involved, the permitting side at the core of engineers and the epa rulemaking. One of the things in terms of a durable rule that I heard from the previous administration, the current administration, we are going to create a durable rule.
▶ 0:58:23Sen. Cramer: The way to do that is to make sure that while we recognize the law is clear now, the definition is clear, all you have to do is seek a jurisdictional direction from us the almighty and we can determine whether your land meets that definition or not. To which I say we don't put a police officer on every car.
▶ 0:58:46Sen. Cramer: Can we presume in the various obvious, simple cases that the land owner or developer already knows the law and doesn't need to seek permission to do what they want to do?
▶ 0:58:56Mr. Zeldin: Unfortunately, we face a reality when many farmers don't know whether or not there land -- not just farmers but obviously a lot of people don't know whether there land has waters of the U.S. on it. I would say that is a failure on the part of the federal government. You should be able to go to your land owners and they should be able to with confidence be able to tell you without having to ask questions whether or not waters of the U.S. are on their property.
▶ 0:59:26Sen. Cramer: Thank you for that. I can tell you north dakota farmers are pretty bright. They know, it is just at the bureaucrats did. Now hopefully the supreme court has cleared that up.
▶ 0:59:37Chair Capito: Thank you. Senator sanders.
▶ 0:59:42Sen. Sanders: Congratulations on your title here. This resulted in, thank you for coming into the office the other day. I enjoyed our chat. Mr. zeldin, 2024, as you know, was the hottest year recorded in history. The past 10 years have been the hottest 10 years on record. We have seen in recent years unprecedented fires on the west coast and in canada and we are seeing the horrific situation in l.a. Right now.
▶ 1:00:14Sen. Sanders: We have seen unprecedented flooding in china, displaced millions of people there. Unprecedented drought in brazil, africa, and elsewhere. In southern africa, people are dying because of the drought, inability to grow crops. Billions of people have been sweltering in europe and elsewhere in unprecedented heat waves. In the midst of all of that, president-elect trump has said that climate change is a hoax.
▶ 1:00:43Sen. Sanders: You will be, if confirmed, one of the leading spokespeople in this country representing us throughout the entire world. Do you agree with president-elect trump that climate change is a hoax?
▶ 1:00:54Mr. Zeldin: First off, senator, it was great to meet with you as well. I believe climate change is real, as I told you. As far as president trump goes, the context I have heard him speak about it was with criticism of policies that have been enacted because of climate change.
▶ 1:01:17Mr. Zeldin: I think that he is concerned about the economic costs of some policies, where there is a debate and difference of opinion --
▶ 1:01:25Sen. Sanders: I would respectfully disagree with you. He has called it a hoax time and time again. I will say for the record -- well, let me ask you this question. Some of us have use the words existential threat. What we are seeing in l.a. Right now is apocalyptic.
▶ 1:01:50Sen. Sanders: And the other terrible weather disturbances, whether in the midwest of this country, many states represented right here, unprecedented floods in my small state of vermont. Hit over and over again. The state capital in montpelier was underway -- underwater this year in a way that we have not seen. Would you describe climate change as an existential threat? Meaning that there must be an urgency to get our act together? To address it
▶ 1:02:19Mr. Zeldin: Senator, we must with urgency be addressing these issues. Today as we talk about anyway at all that the epa can do its part to make sure that our air and water are clean --
▶ 1:02:35Sen. Sanders: Epa has enormous responsibility over an enormous sum of areas. I'm focusing on picking up on what senator whitehouse said. Do you have kids?
▶ 1:02:46Mr. Zeldin: Yes, senator.
▶ 1:02:48Sen. Sanders: Many of us have kids, grandchildren. This is serious stuff, this is beyond politics. This is the future of humanity. If we don't get our act together -- and that is not just the united states of america, this requires international cooperation. Let me ask you another difficult question. If tomorrow, magically, the U.S. congress said all the right things, that would not be enough. Climate change is a global crisis.
▶ 1:03:19Sen. Sanders: It requires the cooperation of china, russia, latin america, etc.. Are you prepared to represent the united states aggressively with some of your colleagues in reaching out to countries all over the world to cut carbon emissions?
▶ 1:03:31Mr. Zeldin: Senator, it's very important for I, as administrator of epa, whether traveling to the g7 or the g20 or elsewhere, to be reaching out to these other countries to make sure there is pressure on other nations to do their part as well. And it is my job to stay up at night, to lose sleep to make sure that we are making our air and water cleaner.
▶ 1:03:57Sen. Sanders: I know it is fashionable to be beating up on china, good politics, but they are the major carbon polluter in the world. We historically had that role, we are number two. We are not going to solve the crisis without working with china. Hopefully you and your colleagues in confirmed would be working with china on these issues?
▶ 1:04:19Mr. Zeldin: On many issues it is important doctors to be working with nations we are strongest aligned with but also to be in communication and engaged in dialogue with countries that might be considered competitors and also our greatest adversaries. Right now, china is an adversary in many respects.
▶ 1:04:42Sen. Sanders: As part of the ira, had a provision in there for $7 billion to lower electric bills for working-class people all over the country by helping them install solar panels on their roof. My wife and I did it. Our electric bill went down by 80%. The problem is, working-class people cannot afford the initial cost to install the solar panels.
▶ 1:05:13Sen. Sanders: That is what this bill does. Can I have your word that you would work with me to make sure that solar for all program is rapidly and effectively implemented all over the country?
▶ 1:05:23Mr. Zeldin: Senator, it is my obligation on this and every other law enacted by congress that I will follow my obligations under the law. When it comes to spending money, it's important that I have the ability to sit before you and the for every dollar that is being spent by the epa. I know this is an important priority of you and solar power --
▶ 1:05:47Sen. Sanders: Sorry. That was a fossil fuel industry. [laughter]
▶ 1:05:54Mr. Zeldin: I look forward to working with you, senator.
▶ 1:05:58Chair Capito: Thank you. Senator curtis.
▶ 1:06:02Sen. Curtis: Before I begin, big thanks to my colleagues on the committee, madam chair, ranking member, all of my colleagues. Really look forward to working with you on this committee, excited to be a part of this. Mr. zeldin, I am from utah. In utah, we are pretty proud of our beauty, natural resources. It really would be hard to find a more spectacular place in the united states. Everything from five national parks, monuments, ski resorts.
▶ 1:06:33Sen. Curtis: I think because of that you utahans have a profound sense to make it better than we found it, that we are not polluting. I can find total agreement, less pollution is better, less emissions is better, and we want to leave the earth better than we found it. You and I have the benefit of working together in the house.
▶ 1:06:57Sen. Curtis: I just want to use the opportunity to thank you for your support of my work talking about climate, some of these issues that are being addressed this morning. For all my colleagues who didn't see us work together in the house, I just want to emphasize how helpful you were cutting republicans talking about climate, dealing with the serious issues. I don't know if you want to comment or any thoughts on that.
▶ 1:07:19Mr. Zeldin: Senator, congratulations, I'm looking forward to serving with you in this new capacity and enjoyed our work together. I would say there is a lot that should unite republicans and democrats, conservatives and liberals, as it relates to the environment. I represented a district where people who were conservative republicans would be able to unite with people who identified as more liberal democrats to focus on making our environment better.
▶ 1:07:46Mr. Zeldin: That type of work together, that common ground is what the american public are desperate for. They are looking for us to be able to find pragmatic common sense solutions, to be able to represent their interests here in washington, D.C.
▶ 1:07:58Sen. Curtis: My experience is that you are the right person to do that. I appreciate your efforts. All that said, let me talk about some problems in utah. Some of that has to do with our geology and geography. We talked about the basin. 80% of the methane registered in the basin doesn't come from traditional fossil fuel sources, it comes from ground sources, air that comes into the region.
▶ 1:08:27Sen. Curtis: Yet, they are judged and measured on that whole 100%, not the 20% they emit. Our geography also surrounds us with mountains. We like to call them real mountains as opposed to the hills that we have on the east coast. [laughter] good way to start on the committee.
▶ 1:08:47Chair Capito: I am from the mountain state. You want to rephrase that?
▶ 1:08:54Sen. Curtis: That traps and all the emissions and they are caught in that area. Part of our discussion in my office, that I would like to talk about today, from your agency, and acknowledgment that this might sometimes our best efforts -- and I will tell you in utah, government, education, business leaders, civic leaders have come together to try to lower these admissions to meet these standards. Because of these sometimes we can't.
▶ 1:09:22Sen. Curtis: I want to work with your administration to see how we fairly measure that. Can you comment?
▶ 1:09:27Mr. Zeldin: Senator, I look forward to working with you and every senator on this committee. I want to make sure that our teams are working together. I sat on the others many of these hearings. One of my greatest frustrations as a member of the house of representatives was to send a letter, follow-up letter, send another letter, and then you are at a hearing following up on your letter and the person testifying before you is acting as if they have not received your first, second, or third.
▶ 1:10:00Mr. Zeldin: That collaboration is important. When I am sitting here before you, that I'm able to be accountable to all of you, and that when you need something from the epa and are asking the question, that we are able to provide prompt answers. Part of this is a relationship and understanding that every local priority for each of you in your home states. I want to be able to travel to your home states to be able to see firsthand on the ground whatever are your top priorities .
▶ 1:10:28Mr. Zeldin: I know, senator, you have many top priorities in utah. I look forward to visiting utah and seeing for myself, bringing the team.
▶ 1:10:35Sen. Curtis: Given your regional administrator's ability to be flexible, also being agnostic to the technology, being more focused on the end result would help to get some better results. Finally in the last few seconds, your predecessor in the house had to deal with me every time he would come before us, talking about his low approval rate on getting chemicals approved. There are 0% of statutory requirement getting these chemicals approved.
▶ 1:11:04Sen. Curtis: I would joke with him, that is statistically possible. You could stumble on some approvals accidentally. I just want to warn you that I will be as tough on you as I was on him and this is important. A lot of these chemicals can replace some of these pfas chemicals. If we cannot get them approved, it just makes getting them off the market near impossible. Look forward to working with you on that and seeing you in the mountains of utah. I yield my time.
▶ 1:11:31Chair Capito: Your seat has bn relocated. Senator moran. Senator merkley.
▶ 1:11:40Sen. Merkley: I can pretty agree with the description. My daughter went across the country, started on the east coast, went through the east coast hills, and by the third day, she woke up and saw the mountains. We were in the middle of the rockies. Her eyes got wide and she said now I understand why you say only the real mountains are in the west. Let's say it's a bipartisan fact agreed to write here.
▶ 1:12:12Sen. Merkley: Mr. zeldin, you have made an emphasis on the science foundation. One of the concerns that I have is in regard to the role of paid influencers. You have reported that you have been paid to do various op-ed's. Would you provide to the committee a list of all the payments you received and who is paying you, a copy of the op as he prepared, so we have a complete understanding of your background in that area?
▶ 1:12:39Mr. Zeldin: Yes senator, and I have provided that as part of my financial disclosure, both ethics and epa, government of office ethics has reviewed all of those submissions, providing that clearance letter to the committee.
▶ 1:12:56Sen. Merekley: We do have your financials. They do not give the details on the text of which op ads. Sometimes it is obscure. For example, the 50 to $100,000 that you were paid for op adds but it also says speaking fees, use a media studio and so forth. If you could tie the actual payments for the op adds to the op adds that you wrote, so we have a clear and transparent understanding of that piece.
▶ 1:13:25Sen. Merekley: Because we want to have our folks serve the public interest and have that foundation of science you are speaking to but I think the citizens deserve to understand as we wrestle with this moment that background. Also, you have rented out your media studio multiple times. Is that for interviews? You rent out your media studio and then you asked to be paid for interviews?
▶ 1:13:51Mr. Zeldin: The first point, I have provided a breakdown of every individual op-ed as well as the publication and the date of the publication. Any further -- if you need us to print up what was referenced, we are happy to do that. As far as the media studio, I created, I owned a media studio. Networks could rent, use the studio for a tv hit.
▶ 1:14:21Sen. Merekley: Appreciate those details. We will take a look at that can you assure citizens campaign support will not influence your service to the public of the united states?
▶ 1:14:43Mr. Zeldin: Yes, senator. No donation provided me at any point on of any amount going to influence any decision I make in this position or beyond.
▶ 1:14:53Sen. Merkley: I want to for size the point my colleagues have made about climate change. We are seeing a massive loss of insurance policies on the west florida. 16 companies have gone bankrupt. Another 16 stopped issuing policies. State farm has withdrawn policies in california. Six towns burned in my home state of oregon, well-publicized across the country.
▶ 1:15:24Sen. Merkley: It is a challenge. A huge number of folks are having to go to a state program. Same in florida. No insurance would ensure properties. There no great solution. They are extremely expensive and difficult and have limited coverage. I want to continue one plastics. I'm concerned about plastics. We have more and more articles. This article for the record -- thank you.
▶ 1:15:53Sen. Merkley: The washington post about the threat between micro plastics and cancer. It talks about colon cancer, lung cancer. We fed articles about heart disease. We have this article, regulation of micro plastics in human brains. It is out for peer review right now. We now have plastics in breastmilk and every organ of the body and in our brain.
▶ 1:16:23Sen. Merkley: According to the study, if this turns out to be accurate, the highest acute relation -- accumulation is in our brain. Plastic is vice -- by its nature and endocrine disruptors. Are you steeped in the science associated with the plastics in human bodies?
▶ 1:16:45Mr. Zeldin: Yes, senator. I enjoyed meeting with you and your team in your office where clearly this is an issue of great interest and passion of yours. I will look forward to be able to read what you are referencing so I can become familiar with any detail you are citing I have not read before.
▶ 1:17:10Sen. Merkley: I was hoping that is what you were going to do.
▶ 1:17:14Mr. Zeldin: I look forward to continuing to read even further.
▶ 1:17:19Sen. Merkley: This an effort by the chemical industry to say don't worry, we will just melt everything down in big pots to keep plastics out of the waste streams. They call it chemically recycling. It is melting. It has proved to only be usable in very limited -- basically manufacturing waste. They are trying to sell it as an absolute care.
▶ 1:17:47Sen. Merkley: We can go from 8% recycling in america to a high percent. Are you familiar with the limited role of the chemical industry is trying to say don't worry on plastics?
▶ 1:17:58Mr. Zeldin: I am aware.
▶ 1:18:00Sen. Merkley: Do you understand and have made yourself knowledgeable of the inaccuracies being publicized about this thermal strategy?
▶ 1:18:09Mr. Zeldin: Senator, I am researching and reading all that is being provided on all sides of the issue. Going back to my time in the house, I advocated to clean up our waterways around my district. The bipartisan work between senator whitehouse and senator sullivan on save our seas should be a model to be followed to go even further.
▶ 1:18:40Sen. Merkley: I'm sorry, madam chair. I will close by saying the plastics -- there's a big story trying to be sold about don't worry. It will be your responsibility to make sure you speak the truth to the american people.
▶ 1:18:54Chair Capito: Senator sullivan.
▶ 1:18:57Sen. Sullivan: Thank you, madam chair. It's a great committee for new members. We have some differences but that's ok. Congratulations to your family as well. Thank you for your service. Not always easy, we know. Alaska loves clean water, clean air. We know we have some of the cleanest air and water in the world. We are proud of that.
▶ 1:19:27Sen. Sullivan: We don't always think the epa has helped in that regards. I want to begin by getting you to commit to me to come up to alaska with me, bring your family. We can do some fishing after you see all the important elements of alaska. Big mountains. No offense to utah but real big mountains. [laughter] we have some fun on state size and this committee. Can I get your commitment to do that?
▶ 1:19:56Mr. Zeldin: Yes, senator. Unlike predecessors of mine who attempted to try to negotiate an august trip, I would want to go when it is as cold and dark as possible.
▶ 1:20:08Sen. Sullivan: It is happening right now. We have communities that are at 30 to 40 below zero. We would love to have you in the winter and summer.
▶ 1:20:18Mr. Zeldin: Senator ricketts looks like he wants to come with me.
▶ 1:20:22Sen. Sullivan: I appreciate the shout out to me and senator whitehouse on the save our seas act. That was the most comprehensive ocean cleanup legislation in the history of the country. Those are both signed by president trump. You might would ask senator whitehouse about the signing ceremony we had in the oval office with president trump on save our seas 1.0.
▶ 1:20:51Sen. Sullivan: Commerce secretary wilbur ross and others. It was great. Can you commit to me to work with this committee? We have president trump's commitment to continue the progress we have made on ocean cleanup. Plastics cleanup. It is good bipartisan work. The trump administration and the president himself is committed and so were we. We are working on 3.0. We have to focus on the limitation of sos 2.0.
▶ 1:21:22Sen. Sullivan: Can we get your commitment on that?
▶ 1:21:24Mr. Zeldin: Yes.
▶ 1:21:25Sen. Sullivan: I want to go back to senator cramer's issue of your opening statement about honoring cooperative federalism. As you know, the clean air act and clean water act laws from congress contemplate a scheme of cooperative federalism that provides an active, in some case primary role for states on these laws. Will you commit to doing to that? It's really important issue for my state.
▶ 1:21:54Mr. Zeldin: Yes, senator.
▶ 1:21:56Sen. Sullivan: One area we have not seen cooperative federalism at all is the way in which the epa in my state has a history of enforcing the laws. No offense to my democratic colleagues, this is what democrat administrations. The obama administrations -- they come in with giant, heavy armed agents. Body armor, helicopters. It is shocking.
▶ 1:22:27Sen. Sullivan: We had a raid on some plaster minors -- placer miners. 30 armed agents to do what? Compliance on the clean water act. They didn't find one violation. Scared the hell out of the miners. The finest ration is done raids on small mechanics shops. They bring up epa agents from all over the country.
▶ 1:22:57Sen. Sullivan: 30 armed agents kicking in doors in mechanics shops in alaska. My state believes in the second amendment. My state is armed. This is very dangerous, because some of these agents could get shot when they are coming in. What has happened is, you don't have cooperative federalism.
▶ 1:23:19Sen. Sullivan: You have rogue epa agents who are going to enforcement before they talk about compliance. They could've gone to these mechanic shops, gone to the miners and say you might be violating the clean water act. No. They had 40 agents. All armed. Raiding these mechanic shops.
▶ 1:23:50Sen. Sullivan: Is an outrage. Can I get your commitment to focus on compliance whether they are jumping to armed enforcement? Secondly, I believe in an armed citizenry. I believe in the second amendment. I don't believed in an armed bureaucracy. The epa is a swat team. D believe the epa should have to armed agents -- do you believe the epa should have dark agent? They can just send local police or state troopers. If you have these guys out of control in alaska and it is dangerous.
▶ 1:24:22Sen. Sullivan: The current epa administrator, I sent letters on this. He didn't answer me. Someone is going to get hurt. Can I get your commitment to focus on compliance, civil compliance, as opposed to kicking in doors with body armor, assault rifles, helicopters? It is crazy. It is really outrageous. It happens under democrats. Not president trump. Democrats.
▶ 1:24:48Mr. Zeldin: Senator, it is outrageous that the story you told and senator murkowski share with me with regards to alaska. It led me as someone going to this transition to be asking questions as to how to even get authorized. Who signs off on it? What are the standards that need to be met to even say yes to an operation like that?
▶ 1:25:13Mr. Zeldin: With --
▶ 1:25:16Sen. Sullivan: Epa agents came from all over america to raid a mechanics shop. National guard guys. Great alaskans. Can I get your commitment to work with me? Do you think the epa should be armed? I don't.
▶ 1:25:33Mr. Zeldin: Senator, if something requires an enforcement action on a prosecutorial front, that is working with the department of justice, congress has enacted laws where enforcement is part of the effort on the compliance front. There are people and entities owning property where there is mitigation that needs to happen and where they want to work with the government to mitigate that situation on the property.
▶ 1:26:04Mr. Zeldin: We should work with them to make that happen.
▶ 1:26:05Chair Capito: Senator kelly.
▶ 1:26:07Sen. Kelly: Mr. zeldin, congratulations on your nomination and thanked for coming by my office a couple weeks ago. Arizona has some unique challenges. We need some help from epa leadership. We need to work with you as a collaborative partner to help us address specific air quality and water quality challenges we are facing.
▶ 1:26:37Sen. Kelly: To do this in a way that does not disrupt our state cozy growth. We are a rapidly growing state. Let's start with air quality. Maricopa county, phoenix, half the population of the state is in nonattainment for ground-level ozone pollution.
▶ 1:26:58Sen. Kelly: Under the clean air act, the law assumes air quality can be improved by reducing emissions from stationary sources of emissions. Like big manufacturing. It might make sense in some parts of the country. Certainly in more industrialized areas. The rust belt, the east coast. It doesn't make sense in phoenix. The reason is we are young state.
▶ 1:27:27Sen. Kelly: We don't have a history of this heavy manufacturing. Manufacturing is not the source of air quality challenges in maricopa county. Epa's modeling shows 80% of the ozone forming pollutants in the phoenix area come from either natural sources like wildfires or sources outside of the region. Like california and mexico.
▶ 1:27:57Sen. Kelly: This means the typical epa playbook for how to improve air quality and protect public health is not going to work in phoenix. It is just not. We need partnership and collaboration with the epa headquarters and epa region 9 to address these challenges. We have been working with officials and the business community. There are actions where we are asking for epa partnership on.
▶ 1:28:30Sen. Kelly: I would like to ask for your commitment to working with us on these issues. There are for them. We have permits under review by the region 9 office. What you ensure those permits are prioritized for review?
▶ 1:28:49Mr. Zeldin: Senator, your priorities will be mine. We will make sure we follow the law. Making sure this is top of the list.
▶ 1:29:00Sen. Kelly: Thank you. Maricopa county submitted two local rules which are called rule 204 and 205 to provide alternative pathways for generating offsets for new permits, new manufacturing facilities. We don't have the heavy manufacturing that would generate apartment. These rules have some other ways to do that.
▶ 1:29:32Sen. Kelly: Both rules are still pending final approval, although I understand region 9 and maricopa county are meeting weekly on this to resolve outstanding issues. Mr. zeldin, what you commit to ensuring this coordination between epa and the county can continue with the goal of having both rules approved as soon as possible?
▶ 1:29:55Mr. Zeldin: Senator, while I cannot prejudge the outcome on anything, you have my commitment to be able to work with you, the local partners, to come to arizona. You mentioned the yuma example. You come from a state where in a place like maricopa you don't have a lot of these sites shutting down. You have more coming in, which is a good problem to have in one way.
▶ 1:30:26Mr. Zeldin: You definitely need that partnership with epa.
▶ 1:30:27Sen. Kelly: It is challenging any other way. Third, we are trying to understand the long-term reasons our air quality is getting worse and how to resolve that challenge. Will you help maricopa county develop better models to understand why our air quality is getting worse and help us find some solutions to address this long-term?
▶ 1:30:49Mr. Zeldin: Yes.
▶ 1:30:50Sen. Kelly: We know that emissions from mexico are a serious contributor to our air quality challenges throughout arizona. What you commit to having the epa region 9 and epa office of transportation and air quality work with our local officials to ensure our attainment plans account for cross-border pollution?
▶ 1:31:12Mr. Zeldin: Yes, senator. I heard this concern from senator schiff and senator padilla as it relates to tijuana and the southern border of california. This is clearly an issue across states. I look forward to working with you on this issue.
▶ 1:31:26Sen. Kelly: Will you commit to working to find solutions to ensure regions throughout the western united states aren't penalized for emissions created by wildfire smoke?
▶ 1:31:38Mr. Zeldin: Yes, senator.
▶ 1:31:40Sen. Kelly: Thank you.
▶ 1:31:41Chair Capito: Senator ricketts.
▶ 1:31:44Sen. Ricketts: Congratulations to chairman capito and senator whitehouse on your new roles. We have november, senator schiff as well. -- new member. I didn't want to leave senator schiff out. I'm excited to work with the entire team with regard to the upcoming session.
▶ 1:32:14Sen. Ricketts: Thank you very much for being here. Appreciate your family's sacrifices in the past and serving our country and your willingness to sacrifice and serve our country again. The rule of law is what binds americans' trust to government. All too often we have seen in the biden administration that the rule of law and congressional intent has been subverted by trying to appease radical left-wing environmentalists.
▶ 1:32:44Sen. Ricketts: That undermines people's faith in government and the rule of law and the trust of our institutions. Thank you for your commitment to implement thing the laws as congress has written and attended to be able to give back to the phenomenal -- get back to the fundamentals of the epa and looking up for the well-being of the public. I'm excited to restore the proper balance of limiting risk with using sound science to protect our environment.
▶ 1:33:15Sen. Ricketts: As the epa's -- which is the epa 's mission. We must follow the law to restore nebraskan' restore nebraskans' faith in the institutions. The renewable fuel standard. That is one things I commented on in the past. I love this committee because we talk about ethanol and biodiesel all the time.
▶ 1:33:41Sen. Ricketts: Chair mullin capi -- chairman capito will get tired of me doing that. Rvo's are at such low production levels and they are chronically late. The rvo's for 2026 are required by law to be published on november 1, 2024. That did not happen. It is not likely to happen until probably december of 2025.
▶ 1:34:10Sen. Ricketts: The 2023 and 2024 rvo'ss will lag behind by three to 4 billion gallons. That is the agile capacity of the industry today. Do you commit to give producers and the industry certainty in the marketplace? This is what business wants. They want to know what the rules are so they can plan for it. Will you give them the certainty by following the law as it relates to the timely and appropriate rvo rulemaking?
▶ 1:34:37Mr. Zeldin: Yes, senator.
▶ 1:34:39Sen. Ricketts: Another pressing issue for nebraskans is year-round e 15. I want to thank senator fischer and your former colleague congressman smith for their leadership on the issue. I'm happy to lend my support to this cause. The solution is over a decade in the making. We were very close in the last congress actually getting e-15 year-round. I hope to build on that momentum.
▶ 1:35:07Sen. Ricketts: Although the issue will not be solved entirely by the epa, can we rely on you to create a market is certainty for liquid fuel stakeholders and agriculture producers and doing all you can to ensure americans will have access to e-15 all year-round?
▶ 1:35:23Sen. Ricketts: Twilight --Mr. zeldin: while I cannot prejudge the processes across the board, I know how important this is to you and how important this is to president trump. The president has expressed this time and again with regards to you. You heard it from senator ernst. I've heard from senator grassley. Senator hawley. I understand how much of a priority this is for you.
▶ 1:35:52Sen. Ricketts: As far as establishing certainty, hopefully this is something that congress is able to resolve to the extent you are relying on me epa to establish --relying on the epa. I want to work with you to achieve the outcomes we have discussed.
▶ 1:36:08Sen. Ricketts: One of the things -- we will get into the second round of questioning -- it's important we get away from what the biden administration was doing with regard to trying to tip the scales toward their solution. That is how I interpret their delay on renewable fuels. We all want to reduce our impact on the environment. Renewable fuels are one of the ways we can do that. They wanted to push their solution, electric vehicles.
▶ 1:36:39Sen. Ricketts: Electric vehicles will be part of the solution on how we do that as well. We should be focusing on how american innovation -- I appreciate you mentioned this in your opening. American innovation is how we solve the problems in this country. Allow americans to innovate. To find ways to be able to reduce our impact on the environment. I will give you one example. Last year, two years ago, I was seeing a demonstration by a hybrid vehicle.
▶ 1:37:11Sen. Ricketts: For a $600 kit it had been equipped to burn 85% ethanol. It was getting 38 miles to the gallon while reducing the amount of emissions that would have been done with a gasoline engine. That is the kind of innovation that can help us reduce impact on the environment if we are allowed as americans to actually innovate. Resident have his big top down government one-size-fits-all -- we will push the solution on you whether it works or not.
▶ 1:37:41Sen. Ricketts: My time has expired but look forward to the second round.
▶ 1:37:43Chair Capito: Thank you. Senator markey.
▶ 1:37:48Sen. Markey: In 2016, in a congressional debate you said, "there are different ways we can be better stewards of our environment. The key is to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. To become more environmentally friendly in pursue cleaning green energy." -- clean and green energy." do you believe it is our job to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels?
▶ 1:38:17Mr. Zeldin: Ideally, senator, to the extent -- I support all of the above.
▶ 1:38:25Sen. Markey: Do you believe it is imperative that we reduce our reliance on fossil fuels? Do you believe that?
▶ 1:38:36Mr. Zeldin: In considering all factors, in an ideal world we would be able to pursue the cleanest, greenest energy sources possible.
▶ 1:38:47Sen. Markey: On that hearing you say that you agree with lee zeldin in 2016. We are in a different context in this hearing. Do you see the fires in l.a. Right now? Do you see the storms ripple through georgia and through north carolina? The threat of climate change has not gone away.
▶ 1:39:17Sen. Markey: I'm just worried now your change of tone is politics and not the science, which you apparently believed in at that time. Do you also accept that under the supreme court's ruling in 2007 in massachusetts versus epa and three subsequent cases that the epa is obligated to regulate greenhouse gases as air
▶ 1:39:47Sen. Markey: Pollutants from motor vehicles, power plants and other industrial sources as the supreme court cited a new decision made reasonably to endanger public health or welfare? Do you accept that as a mandate?
▶ 1:40:04Mr. Zeldin: Authorized to, senator.
▶ 1:40:08Sen. Markey: Authorized to. You don't actually then accept the requirement that you have to deal with the endangerment that fossil fuels actually poses to l.a. Or north carolina or florida or the gulf coast almost on a yearly basis?
▶ 1:40:30Mr. Zeldin: I want to be accurate. Citing massachusetts versus epa, the decision does not require the epa --
▶ 1:40:39Sen. Markey: You are obligated to regulate if you find there is an endangerment. Do you feel it is an obligation?
▶ 1:40:47Mr. Zeldin: It doesn't say you are obligated to -- and that is it. There are steps epa would have to take in order for an obligation to be created. I'm going off the actual text.
▶ 1:41:02Sen. Markey: Do you think we are endangering l.a.? The people in north carolina and the gulf coast are in danger?
▶ 1:41:10Mr. Zeldin: Are they in danger? Absolutely. People having their homes burned down.
▶ 1:41:16Sen. Markey: Then you have an obligation to deal with that. To do something. I am not hearing --you see your job at the epa as doing something about it. We are watching fire fighters run towards the flames in los angeles and the epa is responsible to keep the fiery embers of climate -- embers of climate - change under control. Power plants, cars, industry.
▶ 1:41:47Sen. Markey: Are you going to fight those dangers, Mr. zeldin? As you said in 2016? Or are you going to fan the flames of destruction by making demands of the fossil fuel industry which he refused to hold responsible for the rapidly warming country we are living? -- living in?
▶ 1:42:12Mr. Zeldin: First off, as far as the supreme court case goes it is not -- was not a decision of the supreme court that if there was a fire in 2025 in california, that if the fire creates a danger to people having their homes burned down that the epa -- it triggers the epa to regulate carbon dioxide. There's more to that.
▶ 1:42:41Sen. Markey: Yeah. It is pretty simple. It says the epa is supposed to be the environmental watchdog and not a fossil fuel lapdog. It is supposed to have families be able to sleep at night knowing the air is clean and the water is safe and their future is protected.
▶ 1:43:05Sen. Markey: It should not keep people up at night wondering if they are going to have danger coming into their families existence because of polluters. That is the job. Between 2016 and today something has happened. You were not willing to say that fossil fuels is the central culprit that has been ultimately created by human beings.
▶ 1:43:32Sen. Markey: The epa's job has a responsibly to reduce and you refuse to actually take that central responsibility.
▶ 1:43:39Chair Capito: Senator boozman.
▶ 1:43:42Sen. Boozman: Congratulations to you and senator whitehouse. You will be a great team, as usual and a great example for the rest of the congress.
▶ 1:43:54Sen. Whitehouse: Look forward to working with you.
▶ 1:43:57Sen. Boozman: We appreciate your willingness to serve. I want to compliment you on the fact you have made yourself available. I know you work on that really hard. Senator curtis, in response to a question of his, you talked about the frustration of writing letters. Nobody is responding. Making calls.
▶ 1:44:22Sen. Boozman: You have maybe a situation or whatever senator on both sides of the aisle. You just can't get through to anybody. Can you talk about as a former member how important that is to you to make sure you will continued to be available -- continue to be available to answer the phone and such that we can get the information we need to go forward?
▶ 1:44:48Mr. Zeldin: I want every member of the committee to have the ability to contact me. To be able to share directly your concerns and ideas. I want to be responsive to all the members of this committee. I want my team to be able to work closely with your offices. I want to know what all of your priorities are at any given time. I want to make sure I am accountable and transparent to this committee.
▶ 1:45:19Mr. Zeldin: I spent eight years in the house of representatives. I've had opportunity to see people come before committees. They were very responsive. I have seen the opposite. It is important --
▶ 1:45:32Sen. Boozman: More often than not.
▶ 1:45:34Mr. Zeldin: Especially with your great chair. She has a great team to make sure the epw committee on both sides of the aisle, with senator whitehouse and his team, I want a strong relationship between this committee and the epa.
▶ 1:45:51Sen. Boozman: . . I had the privilege of serving my colleagues as chairman of the ag committee, the direct oversight of epa's office of pesticide programs. Uni cultural secretary nominee brooke rawlins -- you and agriculture secretary, broker loans have a good relationship. Farmers and ranchers are best served when the epa and the department of agriculture work together.
▶ 1:46:22Sen. Boozman: Can you tell us about how you envision epa and usda working together to create a predictable science-based and efficient regulatory system to assure the availability of -- to produce the safest, most abundant, most affordable food supply in the world?
▶ 1:46:47Mr. Zeldin: I agree with everything you said. That must be our goal. That should be the relationship between all agencies, including the interaction between the epa and the usda. In a way you can go back to all of your constituents and talk about that progress that has been achieved as a result of these agencies working together.
▶ 1:47:11Sen. Boozman: The epa failed to collaborate with agencies and states prior to rulemaking. That is true whatever the administration is in power. Early in the biden administration it was apparent it was made by a narrow group of stakeholders.
▶ 1:47:37Sen. Boozman: -- which cannot simply be restored overnight, how would you work with industries more collectively to ensure their concerns are addressed while maintaining a balanced approach to environment protection?
▶ 1:47:49Mr. Zeldin: First off, it's important that epa is always a filling our obligations under the law. That we are abiding by the rule of law. That we are following our commitment to congress to be able to follow the administrative procedures act to make sure all actions are durable while into the future.
▶ 1:48:13Mr. Zeldin: As far as engagement throughout the process, it's important to hear from people who have good substantive, informed feedback that allows the epa to do a better job. To make better decisions. That at times might involve me speaking to people who I might agree with or disagree with on any given day.
▶ 1:48:37Mr. Zeldin: The worst thing I can possibly do, that the epa can do is turn a blind eye to great substantive feedback that will better informed decisions so we are being responsive and transparent, not just a congress but to the american people.
▶ 1:48:53Sen. Boozman: Thank you, madam chair.
▶ 1:48:56Chair Capito: Senator shift. Simple sschiff -- Sen.
▶ 1:49:07Schiff: I am inclined to agree with senator curtis. I'm inclined to agree with the chair. I have friends on both sides of this issue and I stand with my friends. Mr. zeldin, as you are well aware, the horrific fires that have ravaged california in the last week have displaced thousands of people and resulted in the loss of more than two dozen lives.
▶ 1:49:37Schiff: As the fires continue to destroy californians' homes and livelihoods and more it is more important than ever that california has the full support of the federal government to recover and respond. Fueled by severe drug conditions and strong santa ana winds, unimaginable events like these fires devastate communities and worsen californians' water scarcity.
▶ 1:50:04Schiff: When you were a state senator in new york, you are a member of the bipartisan task force on hurricane sandy recovery. You applauded a package that included tax assessment relief or properties catastrophically damaged by the storm. Revisions to regulatory obstacles that slowed down the rebuilding process. An improvement an extension of state insurance laws to help policymakers receive funds following a disaster in more.
▶ 1:50:32Schiff: In response to hurricane sandy, the epa supported fema and worked with federal agencies in the state of new jersey and new york to assess damage and respond to environment concerns. Epa stepped into assess drinking water and wastewater facilities, helped get wastewater treatment plants in new jersey up and running, evaluating conditions at hazardous waste sites and assisted in the collection of debris and household hazardous waste.
▶ 1:51:01Schiff: Can you provide californians with the assurance you will advocate the same strong recovery and response assistance from epa as epa provided to you within constituency in long island after hurricane sandy if confirmed?
▶ 1:51:18Mr. Zeldin: Congratulations on your election. I look forward to working with you on this committee. We, from the rest of the country have been watching what is playing out for your constituents. Many of us know people who have been impacted and lost everything. It is hard -- impossible for us to put ourselves in the shoes of your constituents right now.
▶ 1:51:39Mr. Zeldin: I, if confirmed, would want to not only know everything in my power to be able to do as epa administrator to assist you in fighting for your constituents who have been devastated by these wildfires, but I would want to in fact do every thing in my power to assist. To make sure this recovery is as speedy as possible.
▶ 1:52:02Mr. Zeldin: I would like to come to california, to speak to those on the ground, hear concerns we need to take back to washington and assist both you and senator padilla and your house colleagues to be able to fight for these constituents who have lost everything.
▶ 1:52:18Sen. Schiff: Thank you, Mr. zeldin. We will welcome you to the state and look forward to your visit. After the maui fires in august of 2023, crews removed 200 tons of hazardous materials from 1400 plus properties in fire impacted areas. Epa deployed water emergency team member's to provide on the ground guidance and technical assistance for storm water, wastewater and drinking water for the county of maui.
▶ 1:52:47Sen. Schiff: Do you commit to prioritizing similar assistance for california to ensure local water supplies are tested, treated and restored to safe drinking water standards just as epa stepped in to do after the horrific maui fires?
▶ 1:53:02Mr. Zeldin: I would do everything in my power if confirmed as epa administrator to assist with that as well.
▶ 1:53:08Sen. Schiff: I assume, Mr. zeldin, your response will not depend on whether disaster strikes a red state or blue state. You will equally work to speed relief to those americans affected.
▶ 1:53:23Mr. Zeldin: Yes, senator. It doesn't matter what kind of estate you are from. All 50 states are going to be the highest importance regardless of where disaster ever strikes anywhere in america. Thinking --
▶ 1:53:40Sen. Schiff: Thank you. The tijuana river pollution crisis. This crisis brought immense industrial waste and raw sewage over the border from mexico into california, posing serious public health challenges to san diego. We have had beaches shut down. We've had seal training facilities impacted.
▶ 1:54:06Sen. Schiff: Coast guard and customs and border personnel have routinely reported suffering from infections and gastrointestinal illnesses. Thank you to the work of senator padilla and representative scott peters and others we secured 250 million dollars in disaster supplemental relief in december. Epa can play a pivotal role in the crisis as well.
▶ 1:54:30Sen. Schiff: I would ask use to support the infrastructure water program and will you agree to review epa january 7 decision to investigate -- deny superfund designation? Will you agree to review it and consider whether different judgments should be reached?
▶ 1:54:52Mr. Zeldin: Yes senator.
▶ 1:54:54Chair Capito: Senator lummis.
▶ 1:54:58Sen. Lummis: Congratulations to you and our ranking member. I look forward to working with you both. It is great to see you. Thank you for accepting this nomination or appearing before this committee. I enjoyed serving with you in the U.S. house and look forward to serving with you in your new role at epa. I want to extend my warmest welcome to your family.
▶ 1:55:29Sen. Lummis: I want to start with a very, very fundamental question and give you an example. The question is, is it your job as epa administrator to follow the science or follow the law? Here's the question associated with that question.
▶ 1:55:50Sen. Lummis: Clean power plan 2.0 has rules associated with it that run afoul of the supreme court's ruling in west virginia versus epa. As administrator, will you follow the law, both in statute and as interpreted by the supreme court?
▶ 1:56:11Mr. Zeldin: Senator, on every situation if confirmed as epa administrator my first obligation will always be to follow my obligations under the law.
▶ 1:56:25Sen. Lummis: With regard to goals and clean air, is the goal to have clean air or or is the goal to eliminate specific fuels?
▶ 1:56:43Mr. Zeldin: The goal -- the reason why a regulation might be in place is the in-state -- end state of wanting the cleanest, healthiest air, drinking water. That is the goal. The end state of all the conversations we might have, any regulations that might get passs ed.
▶ 1:57:12Mr. Zeldin: What brings us together should be the ultimate goal of having clean air and clean water.
▶ 1:57:16Sen. Lummis: That is my goal as well. I look forward to working with you to accomplish that goal. I spent four days in october in silicon valley, mostly meeting with firms developing artificial intelligence. If the U.S. is to be the leader in developing ai we need abundant energy. It has to be base load energy.
▶ 1:57:46Sen. Lummis: The demands of artificial intelligence for energy are going to be extraordinary. So, our goal as you and I agreed is to provide the additional abundant energy so the united states can remain the leader in the world on the development of artificial intelligence. Provide that additional energy in the cleanest way possible.
▶ 1:58:16Sen. Lummis: In some instances that may involve finding the absolute cleanest way to continue to use fossil fuels. I want to point out to you, if you look at how clean natural gas is in the united states compared to other countries and compared to other sources of energy you will be stunned at how clean it is.
▶ 1:58:44Sen. Lummis: Yet sometimes this panel and others tend to lump all fossil fuels together. Assume that they cannot be provided as part of the energy baseload in this country in a clean way.
▶ 1:59:00Sen. Lummis: I would like to invite you to wyoming so we can show you that there are ways that fossil fuel can be used in the carbon capture sequestration to help include all types of fuels in developing the energy this country needs in order to be artificial intelligence leader of the world. I have another question with regard to small refineries.
▶ 1:59:32Sen. Lummis: Thank you for indulging that editorial comment. Are you aware there are more than 100 petition for hardship relief that remain to be decided by epa, some dating back more than five years with regard to small refineries? If confirmed, can we work together to outline an expedient timeline for reaching decisions?
▶ 2:00:00Mr. Zeldin: Yes senator.
▶ 2:00:01Sen. Lummis: Thank you. I want to include a couple of other questions I think are of significance with regard to p fas. I'm running between two hearings. Excuse me if I'm being repetitive.
▶ 2:00:20Sen. Lummis: Do you plan to ensure that epa's policies are effective while protecting passive receivers from lawsuits and consumers with unreasonably high utility bills? Let me explain here.
▶ 2:00:38Sen. Lummis: The biden administration's plan to designate legacy pfas as hazardous substances unders desk and impose liability on entities like municipal water systems that did not produce or knowingly handle these chemicals. These entities are called passive receivers. I know it is true at airports. They have pfas issues as well.
▶ 2:01:08Sen. Lummis: These passive receivers in a vulnerable to lawsuits that literally can bankrupt small local governments. My concern is that we address these issues. Not in a way that submits small locally decibel water systems and airports -- local municipal water systems and airports.
▶ 2:01:39Mr. Zeldin: I've heard from your colleagues on both sides of the aisle. It is something that is a big issue to and therefore be a big issue for me. I also saw it in my home county of suffolk county. We had pfas. Issues passive receiver issue is something where it can get passed down to the consumer where pay for the cleanup costs in a way that we need to be cognizant of it the epa.
▶ 2:02:07Sen. Lummis: Thank you, Mr. zeldin. I'm sorry I ran over.
▶ 2:02:11Chair Capito: I am pleased to welcome one of our new remembers , senator alsobrooks. You have large shoes to fill and I'm sure you will be able to do that. It is great to heavy you on the committee.
▶ 2:02:31Sen. Alsobrooks: Thank you so much. Thank you so much that chairwoman capito and ranking never white h -- ranking member whitehouse for holding today's hearing. We miss senator cardin but I'm excited to be able to join his committee. Epw has jurisdiction over many issues important to marylanders.
▶ 2:02:57Sen. Alsobrooks: I look forward to working with you and all of our colleagues on this committee to address the environment of an effort structure challenges we face in our states. To Mr. zeldin, congratulations to you and your family on your nomination. Thank you as well for your willingness to serve and for appearing before our committee today. I appreciate it. I very much enjoy meeting with you and having the opportunity to speak with you.
▶ 2:03:24Sen. Alsobrooks: I suspect my questions will come as no surprise to you based on that conversation. In the interest of time, I ask as much as possible that you would answer yes or no to the following questions. While in congress he worked to ensure epa's efforts to restore the long island sound for successful, including advocating for federal funding.
▶ 2:03:48Sen. Alsobrooks: Like long island sound, the chesapeake bay is an economic driver in maryland and across the bay watershed. The bay is the nation's largest estuary, one of the most productive fisheries in the united states. I ask you whether you would agree that restoring and protecting our nation's estuaries and watershed is a shared response ability between the states and the federal government.
▶ 2:04:13Mr. Zeldin: Yes, senator.
▶ 2:04:15Sen. Alsobrooks: Will you advocate for robust federal funding for regional restoration efforts across the country, including the chesapeake bay and for the national estuary program?
▶ 2:04:28Mr. Zeldin: Yes, senator. It will be up to congress to decide on the funding levels. It will be my obligation to make sure the money is spent to congress' intent.
▶ 2:04:39Sen. Alsobrooks: Epa said know about of lead in drinking water is safe -- no amount of lead in drinking water is safe. It is particularly dangerous for children. The bipartisan infrastructure law that you opposed as a member of congress made is to write down payments on leadpipe replacement -- made historic downpayments on lead pipe or placement.
▶ 2:05:02Sen. Alsobrooks: If confirmed, what you build on the success of the infrastructure law and support additional funding for leadpipe or placement?
▶ 2:05:12Mr. Zeldin: Senator, yes to the same answer as my last question. It will be up to congress to decide what the policy is, what the funding level this. My commitment and obligation will be to make sure that the funding is spent to congress' intent as laid out in those appropriations.
▶ 2:05:32Sen. Alsobrooks: But you recognize that led in water is a problem for children?
▶ 2:05:37Mr. Zeldin: Yes.
▶ 2:05:38Sen. Alsobrooks: Will you commit to not cutting funding that would aid in replacement of these types? -- pipes?
▶ 2:05:46Mr. Zeldin: If confirmed as administrator of the epa, I will not be cutting any funding. That is a decision as far as funding levels for congress to set. Whatever funding congress decides upon is going to be the letter that will be the number I'm committed to fulfill my obligation of being a good steward on the tax dollars and spend to congress' intent.
▶ 2:06:13Sen. Alsobrooks: The unofficial department of government efficiency led by elon musk has proposed laying off 75% of government workers. Across the federal government that would result in more than 1.7 million civilian employees being laid off, including on was 500,000 veterans. If the trump administration follows through on this proposal, that means more than 12,000 employees at the epa would be laid off. Many of these are hard-working, dedicated public servants who live in maryland.
▶ 2:06:45Sen. Alsobrooks: Do you support firing 75% of the epa employees?
▶ 2:06:48Mr. Zeldin: Offhand I'm not even aware of a single person being fired during the first trump administration at the epa. That is not the same for other agencies. There might have been some. I have not been told about it. I want to make sure my job as administrator is to increase productivity, make sure we are efficient and accountable and transparent.
▶ 2:07:18Mr. Zeldin: For us to be in the office collaborative and productive.
▶ 2:07:20Sen. Alsobrooks: In a similar vein, I would ask about another issue. Moving epa headquarters outside of washington, D.C. I wonder whether or not you agree with that effort and the effort of moving them out of washington, D.C. or if you would oppose it.
▶ 2:07:41Mr. Zeldin: No one has expressed to me in any setting since I was announced as nominee or before that of any plans with regards to moving the epa headquarters out of D.C. I have not been involved in any conversation and I'm not aware of any conversation.
▶ 2:08:01Sen. Alsobrooks: Thank you so much.
▶ 2:08:03Chair Capito: Senator graham.
▶ 2:08:05Sen. Graham: Congratulations. You are a lt. Col. In the arnie -- army reserves. What do I do?
▶ 2:08:17Mr. Zeldin: International law officer based in fort wadsworth, new york.
▶ 2:08:22Sen. Graham: You are a jack officer. If pete hegseth gives you a hard time, call me. Senator whitehouse and myself have been working on climate issues for a long time. I saw that you were chairman or member of the bipartisan climate solutions caucus. Why did you do that?
▶ 2:08:47Mr. Zeldin: I represented a district where I was hearing from constituents on both sides of the aisle of how important it is -- I was doing everything to fulfill their priorities, their policy pursuits --
▶ 2:09:04Sen. Graham: Dear constituents were concerned about the averment? -- environment? I think they are right to be. God bless the people of california. We went to help them. Helene came through north carolina and south carolina. Let's help people. Is it ok to look at lessons learned when you look at disasters what we can do better next time?
▶ 2:09:28Mr. Zeldin: We must do better.
▶ 2:09:30Sen. Graham: I encourage you not to be deterred. One thing I find fascinating is I can tell you what states grow corn because I want to talk about ethanol. I could tell you exactly when you have the senator from wyoming saying natural gas is clean, she's right. Why she saying that?
▶ 2:09:59Sen. Graham: The truth is america has become environment to lead sensitive -- environmentally sensitive. We want to lower emissions but not wreck the economy. It doesn't matter what we do if other people don't play the same game. The good news for me to this committee is that energy producing states, when the energy source seems to have a positive environment of impact, they are proud of it. Nuclear power. Should that be part of the mix?
▶ 2:10:25Mr. Zeldin: Yes, senator.
▶ 2:10:27Sen. Graham: Small modular reactors need to be looked at again. We had disasters building big power plants but they are not emitting sources of fuel. They have their problems and downside but I'm glad -- my state has the most power from the nuclear industry per capita of any state in the nation. I'm a big fan of trying to expand our nuclear power footprint and look forward to working with you. I think a lot of us feel like we have gone too far.
▶ 2:10:59Sen. Graham: Epa has ignored the law. They have a political agenda. They violate the supreme court holdings. We will have that debate amongst yourselves. One thing many to look at, and a matter what we do here we all care about the environment. When it comes to co2 emissions, let's use that. China and india. The paris accords to me were insufficient to the task. I have been working with senator whitehouse.
▶ 2:11:28Sen. Graham: How could you get big economies like china and india to adopt better practices? Tariffs -- if you are a tariff person, your ship has come in. Tariffs on everything and everybody apparently. One of the things senator whitehouse and I have been talking about is a carbon pollution fee.
▶ 2:11:55Sen. Graham: If you are in china and making steel and you have the worst business practices. You're in india and you have basically no environmental practices at all. Europe and united states are trying to have responsible manufacturing and energy extraction. Trying to be environmentally sensitive. What should we do about china and india?
▶ 2:12:21Sen. Graham: Do you like the idea of these two open-minded -- are you open-minded to the it either people that basically used on sound science -- unsound science, maybe it is time for them to pay a fee.
▶ 2:12:35Mr. Zeldin: Senator, thank you for your service as well. As you remember learning about the dime principle as an officer in the military, we have multiple instrument of national power. Putting aside the military, we have instrument of national power, diplomacy, information and economic pressure. We need to use all estimates to deal with adversaries across the spectrum of all the issues that face our country.
▶ 2:13:07Mr. Zeldin: With regards to specific policies, and you brought this up, when we met in your office and I know this is important to both of you. This is a matter for congress to decide in what direction congress wants to see this country go as far as writing laws.
▶ 2:13:24Sen. Graham: Do you agree with the concept we need to push china and india? They have an advantage. They are not playing the same game that europe and united states are playing. We should all be playing. Are you open-minded to push them to do better?
▶ 2:13:39Mr. Zeldin: Yes, senator.
▶ 2:13:42Chair Capito: Senator wicker.
▶ 2:13:45Sen. Wicker: Thank you very much, Mr. zeldin. I'm delighted someone of your intellect and character will take over this position. I support it. There's been talk about pfas. Let me say I applaud your answers. I think it is important for the public to realize we need to do what we can to prevent exposure to pfas.
▶ 2:14:11Sen. Wicker: In terms of the things we are needing for national security such as munitions aircraft and vehicles for the department of defense, we cannot do without it. We will have to use it for a while. That is a statement I'm not attaching a question to. Let me talk a couple of items of local interest.
▶ 2:14:36Sen. Wicker: Desoto county is the county of mississippi, the suburban county to memphis, tennessee. Some years ago, memphis and desoto county when it together, got federal went in together, a wastewater disposal system.
▶ 2:15:12Sen. Wicker: We were taking too much capacity and desoto county could not go it on its own, and went to a federal court, and perhaps a tennessee judge so it the way memphis was looking at a, and ruled that desoto county has got to get their own wastewater system and do it in a hurry. Happy to do this but the federal government having told us to do that, we are going to need some help.
▶ 2:15:43Sen. Wicker: I would hope that you can commit to using all of your authority at your disposal through subsidy loans and other mechanisms to help us fund this very expensive thing that is being required of us. Will you commit to working with us and with the city of memphis
▶ 2:16:14Sen. Wicker: To resolve this problem?
▶ 2:16:14Mr. Zeldin: Yes, senator. >> I very much appreciate that. Let's move down to jackson, where we have had a flood problem for some decades. A flood control measure was authorized in 1980 six. I don't know what you were doing in 19 six, Mr. zeldin, but that is a long time ago.
▶ 2:16:43Mr. Zeldin: This has undergone several revisions and at my urging and my almost weekly and monthly exhortations we are nearing approval of the pearl river flood control project in jackson, mississippi.
▶ 2:17:03Mr. Zeldin: The local sponsor backing the project, which is the pearl river flood and drainage control district, has diligently addressed all the environmental concerns. I hope we get approved in this calendar year, but I don't want decisions made in some room where our guys are not there to at least put their point of view in.
▶ 2:17:32Mr. Zeldin: Would you agree that local sponsors should be involved in discussions, scheduled in meetings and activities related to finding solutions as we go forward in the final stages?
▶ 2:17:42Mr. Zeldin: Yes, senator, and I would like to travel to your state and meet with these individuals and groups who you want to make sure I hear their feedback from.
▶ 2:17:55Sen. Wicker: I can ensure you it is bipartisan and about as broadly-based as possible. Let me just mention something. And I don't know that you can make any promises to me, because this is before the spring court.
▶ 2:18:15Sen. Wicker: I just want to sing on the record, there is a good neighbor rule that has come out of the biden administration, and it has somehow concluded that my state of mississippi, under a population of under 3 million, is somehow to be penalized for down wind ozone pollution from mississippi to dallas, fort
▶ 2:18:48Sen. Wicker: Worth, and houston. Those obviously have seen weather maps. We know the way weather travels. It doesn't travel from east of the mississippi back to houston and dallas, but somehow they have determined that our largely-rural state of mississippi should be penalized for ozone pollution in dallas and houston. The supreme court is looking at it. I don't think you can comment on it.
▶ 2:19:17Sen. Wicker: I hope we can rescind the rule entirely, but I want you to be aware of how absurd the federal government has been with regard to this good neighbor rule.
▶ 2:19:27Mr. Zeldin: Understood, senator.
▶ 2:19:29Sen. Wicker: Thank you very much, and thank you, madam chair.
▶ 2:19:33Chair Capito: Senator padilla. I think you need your microphone's --
▶ 2:19:44Sen. Padilla: Thank you, madam chair. I want to congratulate you on the nomination. The family is here to acknowledge but I imagine is a positive exchange you had with senator schiff in regards to the current wildfires. In the ep's role, partnership, response, and our ongoing need to maintain that. I do look forward to welcoming you to visit the impacted areas.
▶ 2:20:12Sen. Padilla: That allows me to raise some other issues of priority and concern for california. When we had a chance to meet in my office about your respect for the rule of law, it should be important for all of us, right? And the directives that you respect, that congress has given to the epa, is in that category. In the clean air act congress has exempted california from federal preemption of air emissions standards.
▶ 2:20:43Sen. Padilla: The law is quite clear that epa must grant waivers of federal preemption absent certain disqualifying conditions. And very clearly does not provide any authority to evoke any waivers that have already been granted. That is current law. If you follow the law, the laws congress has enacted, therefore we commit to following the law when it comes to california's clean air act waivers that have been granted?
▶ 2:21:12Mr. Zeldin: Senator, I can commit to every member of this day yes -- dais on every issue that gets forward I will always follow my obligations under the law and while there are processes in the future on different topics where I can commit to following administrative procedures act I will tell you I will not prejudge any outcomes of any future process on any issue that
▶ 2:21:43Mr. Zeldin: Any member can bring up here. I would reiterate to you today that it is my obligation as epa administrator to follow the law.
▶ 2:21:51Sen. Padilla: Thank you. Another topic covered in our meeting is one of clean air attainment. The federal role and responsibility, state, local role, half the people in america who live in a non-attainment area live in california. The quality management district footprint. We have to work together to reduce the sources of toxic emissions.
▶ 2:22:23Sen. Padilla: Based on these jurisdictions it has been challenging. California officials have done pretty much everything they can to tackle this, yet we still have challenges when it comes to ensuring that every californian and american living in california can breathe clean air. I want to be clear, I want the federal government to do its part are working a little bit more aggressively, assertively, and strategically to help reduce these emissions.
▶ 2:22:52Sen. Padilla: Help us reach attainment not by lowering the bar, but by doing the work in areas the locals have not been granted the jurisdiction to do so. Can I count on your commitment to use your regulatory authority to do just that?
▶ 2:23:11Mr. Zeldin: Yes, senator.
▶ 2:23:13Sen. Padilla: Just a side note as we will continue to work together, ensuring in jurisdictions like southern california are not punished for non-attainment if it is resulting from the recent wildfires and the smoke and other emissions that resulted from this disaster or disasters like it.
▶ 2:23:31Mr. Zeldin: Yes, senator. I have heard this concern from other colleagues of yours as well. I was just talking to senator kelly about it. I cited the yuma example and he was talking about maricopa county. It is important we have common sense, pragmatic policies that are being pursued to address issues just like your concern.
▶ 2:23:52Sen. Padilla: To your point, and I'm glad senator kelly brought it up, the concerns about the fires and their impact, not just the short-term devastation, but the longer term when it comes to air quality, is not unique to california. California is in the news right now, but throughout the west because of our changing climate and weather patterns. Another topic we discussed in my office is not just water, water supply, water quality, but water affordability.
▶ 2:24:22Sen. Padilla: The needs of americans are struggling to keep up with their water bills, which have increased nearly three times the rate ased nearly three times the rate of d nearly three times the rate of inflation.hree times the according to the epa, water utilities -- the cost -- it will cost water utilities more than $1.2 trillion over the next 20 years to modernize their drinking water and wastewater infrastructure and maintain it.
▶ 2:24:50Sen. Padilla: Water utilities unique to other utilities rely heavily on rate-payers to cover their costs. The governmental share has come down significantly over the years. Rate-pairs are acutely feeling this pressure, and as a result one in five households have outstanding and growing water debt. National water affordability crisis affects both urban and rural communities.
▶ 2:25:17Sen. Padilla: It is not an rural -- rural versus urban, red state versus blue state, it is across-the-board. I shared with you the idea of the low income home energy assistance program, because you should not have to freeze in the winter just because you may be low-income. The same applies to having water. We do not have fundamental water for life in the economy. We have had a temporary water assistance program for low income customers.
▶ 2:25:48Sen. Padilla: Do you agree, and can we make that permanent to tackle some of these challenges? Including the pfas concerns you are aware of?
▶ 2:25:56Mr. Zeldin: Including having access to clean drinking water, it is something that I want to, if confirmed, be able to do my part. In working with you and your colleagues across the entire country to deliver. Every american, in my opinion -- and it is just my opinion -- should be able to access clean drinking water. I will follow all my obligations under the law and to the fullest extent of the law.
▶ 2:26:27Mr. Zeldin: I would like to assist in those efforts for you to fight for your constituents and every senator here to fight for their constituents in this respect.
▶ 2:26:34Sen. Padilla: The temporary program was successful helping families in red states and blue states alike. I look forward to working with you to make that permanent.
▶ 2:26:43Chair Capito: Senator moran.
▶ 2:26:46Sen. Moran: I'm pleased to be back and sitting here at the gaius -- dais. Thank you for your willingness to serve. A couple of things we talked about when I did visit. I want to talk about the oil and gas industry.
▶ 2:27:14Sen. Moran: We are an oil and gas-producing state but our production is done by small, independent companies that produce form what we call stripper wells, which means they produce less than 15 barrels of oil a day. It is a significant part of the kansas economy and significantly important.
▶ 2:27:33Sen. Moran: In my view this small business man and woman who operate oil and gas leases and explore for petitioner -- for additional production of oil and gas, the epa has written one-size-fits-all solutions. We are not the majors, and we are stripper well producers. I just want your commitment to work with the industry, these small producers, defined right-sized regulations for the circumstances they are in.
▶ 2:28:01Mr. Zeldin: I would welcome an opportunity to travel to your state to meet with them, either it is at your office, or elsewhere. I want to know about all of your priorities, including this one. But also to make sure anyone who can provide any type of insight that can make me better informed, to make decisions, that I welcome any of those opportunities for conversations and collaborations.
▶ 2:28:28Sen. Moran: That is a wonderful offer and ask every nominee that comes before me, would you visit kansas? And you volunteered, so I'm appreciative of that. I cannot imagine the excitement, the opportunity that people in that industry would see to have the capability of talking to somebody like you, directly. In a state like kansas.
▶ 2:28:56Sen. Moran: So, thank you, and we will get on your schedule, although you have to say, once confirmed. I look forward to that. In a different vein of energy production I have created with my colleague, senator boseman and others, sustainable aviation fuel caucus. Kansas, and wichita in particular is the air capital of the world.
▶ 2:29:23Sen. Moran: You produce more general air aviation than anybody. We have thousands of people working in aviation and aerospace and I want to bring together the opportunity to bring the agricultural aspects of kansas together with the aviation aspects and pursue the development of sustainable aviation fuel. I wanted to know, I guess the question will be, we need your help in pursuing the opportunities to develop the technology and any regulations that would follow that.
▶ 2:29:54Sen. Moran: I suppose if you are coming to kansas we ought to introduce you to the people who are in the process of developing a new industry, as the airline industry shifts it from fossil fuels to -- let me say that differently -- from the fuels it uses today to sustainable aviation fuel produced by agricultural byproducts.
▶ 2:30:13Mr. Zeldin: Senator, I look for to that conversation as well.
▶ 2:30:17Sen. Moran: The state revolving funds, I don't know if anybody has asked this question, but it would be a mistake for me. That clean water state revolving funds are hugely important. I represent a lot of communities in which they are placed under significant requirements by the federal government, but they do not have the right-payers, they do not have a number of users of water.
▶ 2:30:44Sen. Moran: It stands out to me that a small town in my home county, a town of about 80 people, have a regulation that they cannot raise the rates on their water users sufficiently enough to pay for the galatians. So the -- the regulations. It is important to help small communities meet the needs.
▶ 2:31:07Sen. Moran: And if not all want to meet those standards, want their water purchaser to have the cleanest, safest drinking water possible. And yet the rules are so unaffordable they don't know where to turn. I will work with you, and I want to make sure that you would commit to continuing to support a robust funding.
▶ 2:31:27Mr. Zeldin: Yes, senator. Ultimately the funding level will be set by congress. It will be my responsibility to ensure that I do my part to fulfill congressional intent, and being a good steward of tax dollars so they can report back to you on all sources of funding coming through the epa.
▶ 2:31:49Mr. Zeldin: This specifically I have heard from other colleagues of yours on this dais as a priority, therefore it will be top priority of mine too.
▶ 2:31:59Sen. Moran: You would need to be a voice within the administration as omb makes decisions in support of the fund as well. Presidential budgets are not a relevant and it is useful if we start with a robust number that is beneficial to the country.
▶ 2:32:19Sen. Moran: Last question I will ask is, I'm interested in what our country is doing -- I'm involved in the national security aspects of my time in the senate. Involves those things. Is there any role for epa to play in the critical minerals world?
▶ 2:32:38Mr. Zeldin: Yes, senator. President trump has expressed a desire of having an energy council. He wants there to be collaboration between different agencies at different levels of jurisdiction. That involves everything from permitting reform, which is one topic I heard senator whitehouse reference earlier in his opening remarks.
▶ 2:33:04Mr. Zeldin: I believe it is important for agencies to be working together, regardless of whether we are the lead agency or we have a different role to play following another agency. I look forward to any collaboration, working with any other agencies to do epa's part.
▶ 2:33:22Sen. Moran: Congressman zeldin, thank you for taking my questions.
▶ 2:33:26Chair Capito: Last but not least is someone who also has some big shoes to fill as the former chairman of this committee was from the great state of delaware. But I know that senator blunt rochester is well up to the task, and we welcome her to the committee and welcome you to the questioning. Anka. Simple blunt rochester -- Sen.
▶ 2:33:49Blunt Rochester: I'm excited to be on this committee. Let me begin by expressing my gratitude to the former chairman of this committee. I friend and mentor, senator tom carper, for his years of faithful service not only did this committee, but also to our nation and saving our planet. I'm proud to be a member of this esteemed committee and Mr.
▶ 2:34:19Blunt Rochester: Zeldin, I appreciate your visit last week. You clearly stated in your testimony that we must ensure that we protect our environment. In our conversation I shared with you with the rich diversity of my state, from our farmers, to citydwellers, tower coastal communities, and our environmental justice communities and why the epa is such an important and great partner to our state.
▶ 2:34:49Blunt Rochester: I have in my time in the house prioritized clean air, clean drinking water, affordability of those things as well. For us it is crucial we have the best candidate for the epa administrator.
▶ 2:35:04Blunt Rochester: In our conversation I was really pleased that you earnestly acknowledged that climate change is real and you actually affirmatively before even got the question out said you committed to following the signs and letting that dictate the policies of the epa. As I said, in my home state we feel the impact of climate every single day.
▶ 2:35:30Blunt Rochester: And as a former member of the house, I know we talked about the similarities in our district, low-lying, vulnerable to sea level rise, and it is critical to our coastal communities. How will you direct the epa to help these communities like ours survived the rising sea levels and extreme weather brought on by the climate crisis?
▶ 2:35:51Mr. Zeldin: Senator, this is a topic that involves multiple agencies working together. So, epa being able to do its part is incredibly important. Epa might not have the funding that the army corps of engineers is bringing to a particular project as may be authorized by congress. The department of interior might be working on a particular aspect of this under its jurisdiction.
▶ 2:36:22Mr. Zeldin: Collaboration between agencies is critical. The collaboration between agencies and congress is going to be important as well. It also helps for I, is confirmed as epa administrator, to be traveling to a state like yours, to see issues firsthand on the ground, especially when they emerge on at times little notice, sometimes with far more notice, to be able to hear from people who have been working on these issues a long time, to be
▶ 2:36:53Mr. Zeldin: Able to hear that feedback, to allow that feedback to inform my decision-making and bring that feedback with me to washington, D.C. when I return from those trips, which I look forward to, if invited. I will visit your stay with you.
▶ 2:37:07Sen. Blunt Rochester: I have a couple of yes or no questions because I know time is limited. He stated that ep's mission is to protect the health of the public and the environment. Is this still your position? ?
▶ 2:37:19Mr. Zeldin: Yes.
▶ 2:37:21Sen. Blunt Rochester: Will you ensure the epa prioritizes policies for clean water.
▶ 2:37:26Mr. Zeldin: Clean what?
▶ 2:37:28Sen. Blunt Rochester: Clean water.
▶ 2:37:30Mr. Zeldin: Yes, senator. Communities that rely on well water, particularly in delaware, it creates water quality issues. How will your epa help these communities access effective solutions, such as upgrades to stormwater infrastructure, watershed restoration, or infiltration?
▶ 2:37:53Mr. Zeldin: Senator, congress has approached these issues in the past. In certain creative ways. In some ways it could be an aspect of congressionally-directed spending.
▶ 2:38:09Mr. Zeldin: I have seen, go to a particular community where they are able to mitigate an issue of water contamination as we experienced in suffolk county, where my congressional district was located and where we have multiple aspects of pfas contamination. The first step is to be able to get access to drinking water.
▶ 2:38:32Mr. Zeldin: Even if that is providing bottled water, that is a partnership that starts with local leadership where a state and federal government is asking, what can we do to assist? What is important is, long-term mitigation. What is frustrating to the american public is when they see these issues lasting for 10, 20, 30 years and the ball is never moving in the right direction. I look forward to doing my part to work with your local communities to get these issues mitigated to whatever extent I can help.
▶ 2:39:01Sen. Blunt Rochester: You actually brought up for me something that was personal. We had communities that did not have access to clean drinking water in our state, and so it was important for us to work on that. Getting that water to those communities, but also the water affordability. Senator padilla mentioned the work for low income water programs.
▶ 2:39:27Sen. Blunt Rochester: I led the charge in the house side, and would love to continue working to make this a permanent program for those families. I will yelled back, and hopefully we have a second round of questions so that I can ask about a particular matter.
▶ 2:39:42Chair Capito: This does end the first round. I would say we had full participation in the committee, which we are going to expect at every meeting, right? And I am very pleased with that. In the interest of not wanting to hurt a new member of my committee, I neglected to welcome senator moran has a new member of this committee. Returning. That's why I didn't say anything, because you are returning.
▶ 2:40:08Chair Capito: [laughter] in any event, I did not want to chance those hurt feelings, since those have -- since might have been denigrated by -- hurt by denigrating my mountains. He will do a second round.
▶ 2:40:23Chair Capito: Before I begin my round I would like to put into the record a january 3 support letter from the chairman of the suffolk county water authority, which states the epa requires strong leadership that balances the complexities of environmental protection with the practical needs of communities across the country. Mr. zeldin's track record on long island exemplifies his ability to lead with compassion, decisiveness, and a clear focus on results.
▶ 2:40:50Chair Capito: He has shown his dedication to the values that the epa upholds and I'm confident will continue to champion these priorities on a national scale. And I ask unanimous consent, which I will grant myself, to enter this into the record. I would say there are always no better advocates than our local advocates who work with us all the time, and obviously you have a very strong constituency there. I'm going to ask quickly a couple of questions.
▶ 2:41:18Chair Capito: Class six wells, which are used to inject carbon dioxide into deeper rock formations, advancing carbon capture and storage technologies, obviously very important to my state. We provided epa funding for -- to have the epa grant estate primacy for class six wells, since they constitute a different aspect of permitting.
▶ 2:41:45Chair Capito: To date only three of these states have in granted class at six primacy. The epa has 150 permits pending for approval. We have projects under review and the proposed final action granting west virginia our state primacy was published in the federal register on november 25.
▶ 2:42:06Chair Capito: This is going to be important to us as we had testimony last year that north dakota, who has primacy, was able to permit seven wells in a short period of time, whereas the epa, under their federal authority, it took them many more years the time to permit just three. You can see how those who, again, our closest to the situation have the ability to make good decisions.
▶ 2:42:31Chair Capito: Will you prioritize the timely completion of west virginia's class six permitting process and work to make sure the epa is a source rather than a barrier in this transaction?
▶ 2:42:43Mr. Zeldin: Yes, senator.
▶ 2:42:45Chair Capito: You mentioned permitting, and I was pleased to hear senator whitehouse mention permitting reform. We have had a lot of stops and starts over the past two to three years on this very issue, and it is holding up construction of critical energy manufacturing infrastructure, transportation. Doesn't matter what kind of energy. Renewable energy, pipelines, whatever. We need to make it easier to build in america. I believe that is president trump's vision as well.
▶ 2:43:18Chair Capito: Congressman zeldin, what opportunities do you see for epa to be able to establish more efficient and predictable permitting processes in addition to working with all of the other agencies that play a part in this vital -- on these vital decisions?
▶ 2:43:32Mr. Zeldin: Chairman cap ito, the question is key for agencies collaborating with each other and for agencies to be able to collaborate with congress on any opportunities that congress sees to pursue permitting reform as well. As far as epa jurisdiction goes, we see a roll of the epa as it relates to environmental impact. Impact statements.
▶ 2:44:00Mr. Zeldin: There are different issues where there will be opportunities for the epa to follow its obligations under the law. There is a possibility that congress might choose to make changes to the law on items that are under epa jurisdiction. I would look forward to doing my part to make sure the epa is not holding up any opportunities to be able to pursue sound applications that otherwise would be and should be approved.
▶ 2:44:26Chair Capito: I think a lot of times in the public domain permitting reform means to certain people skirting the rules or breezing through environmental reviews without really taking them seriously or actually having them science-based, as we have talked about today. That is not what permitting reform means.
▶ 2:44:48Chair Capito: Permitting reform means making these environmental clean air, clean water rules and rules and from other agencies work together so we are getting the right result of cleaner, clean water, but we are able to move forward. I look forward to that. Here is another west virginia issue very quickly. It is the muddy creek restoration project. It is 19 miles of waterways that has acid mine drainage.
▶ 2:45:15Chair Capito: West virginia went about in coordination with the past trump administration, and it was initially championed by the biden to deliver results in cleaning up this area of our stay. It was a true win-win. The biden administration for some reason flip-flopped on this, and they started putting more verdant some costly, and much slower cleanup process.
▶ 2:45:42Chair Capito: You are still having your acid mine drainage while we are getting hung up here. It threatens projects like what he creek and discourages other communities from pursuing similar efforts to achieve real environmental remediation and benefits. Will you commit to working with me to try to reverse these counterproductive changes and cut the red tape and restore this for better environmental results?
▶ 2:46:06Mr. Zeldin: Yes, chairman capital. You have been outspoken on -- chairman capito. You have been outspoken on this issue. I would welcome that opportunity.
▶ 2:46:19Chair Capito: Thank you. Senator whitehouse.
▶ 2:46:23Sen. Whitehouse: I have something of a life experience phd in fossil fuel pressure politics. They will be coming after you. Hard. They will be feeling very entitled, based on their political spending toward a trump victory. I have two questions when you are faced with that.
▶ 2:46:48Sen. Whitehouse: The first is that prominent voices in trump world have been saying that it is important to traumatize epa's workforce, to drive them out. They have been saying that it is important to cut epa's workforce by two thirds or more. Not just washington, but the field, our entire organization.
▶ 2:47:12Sen. Whitehouse: And they have been saying it is important to destroy the professional civil service protections of epa's workforce. Do you respond to those three threats?
▶ 2:47:24Chair Capito: Senator whitehouse, as I have stated earlier my desire, if confirmed as epa administrator, is to increase productivity of the epa. I want to be able to help lead this agency in a way that all of you on both sides of the aisle can be proud of. Us to be accountable and transparent. I want maximum collaboration internally.
▶ 2:47:52Chair Capito: I have been impressed with the level of talent stepping up to serve at epa, and that is the pressure that I am feeling at this moment. Bring out the best of epa, to make sure we are fulfilling our mission of taking public health and the environment.
▶ 2:48:07Sen. Blunt Rochester: You will not support executing on those three threats?
▶ 2:48:10Mr. Zeldin: My commitment to you is exactly as I stated, senator whitehouse. I am not coming into this position with any threat. My position as I sit here is an obligation and commitment to do my part in leading the epa to fulfill its mission in a way that follows its obligation under the law and is one this committee can be proud of.
▶ 2:48:39Sen. Blunt Rochester: The second question I have is that while you have made a lot of good statements today, it is one thing to say things in this environment, and it is another to stand by those guns when the pressure comes at you.
▶ 2:49:08Sen. Blunt Rochester: If you look at your influence and advocacy worth -- work with america first policy institute and america first works, the -- the big donors have been pharma, a massive corporate lobby, olden sachs, a morgan stanley fund, and a billionaire fracking ceo. We don't know who the rest of the donors are, because a fbi keeps much of their donor lists secret.
▶ 2:49:41Sen. Blunt Rochester: But we do know of those. Your fellow board members include the billionaire ceo frack are -- fracker, the former ceo of the texas policy foundation, which I view as a very significant player in the fossil fuel-funded climate denial armada.
▶ 2:50:09Sen. Blunt Rochester: The successor to that texas public policy foundation ceo and a third individual called the chief of intelligence and research at that same, in my view, climate denial front group. In your political work you have taken nearly $300,000 from the oil and gas industry back to 2007. You have large campaign support from koch inc.
▶ 2:50:46Sen. Blunt Rochester: David coke himself maxed out to you and koch pac gave to your pac. In the wake of being surrounded with so much corporate and fossil fuel influence, I want to give you two opportunities.
▶ 2:51:05Sen. Blunt Rochester: One is to answer to me now, how is it that you will be able to separate yourself from the influence of these people and interests when they come demanding things that they think they have earned politically? And I will also turn that into a qfr so you can make a more complete answer. With that, over to you for your response, sir.
▶ 2:51:30Mr. Zeldin: I don't need any extra time for reflection that one. There is no person who has ever provided any level of support to me or anyone else who has any special influence with me. When I was in the army I wore my own -- I wore around my dog tags the seven -- it is important for me to always being the -- been able to approach this position with a clear conscience to make decisions I can live with for my entire life.
▶ 2:52:01Mr. Zeldin: There is no dollar large or small they can influence the decisions I make, who has access to me, and how I am ruling in my obligations under the law. Senator, I am happy to enthusiastically answer that question on any day on the spot. And I would never need any extra amount of time or reflection.
▶ 2:52:20Sen. Blunt Rochester: Good luck standing up to these guys, because they are going to come at you.
▶ 2:52:24Chair Capito: I understand that a five-minute break would be in our best interest. Would you like to do that now or keep going?
▶ 2:52:31Mr. Zeldin: I will take five, I guess. Thank you, senator. Thank you, chairman.
▶ 2:52:37Chair Capito: We will come back in five minutes.
▶ 2:57:20Chair Capito: Next we have senator sullivan.
▶ 2:57:23Sen. Sullivan: Thank you, madam chair. Congressman zeldin, you are doing a great job and your opening statement was good. There has been a lot of railing against the hydrocarbon industry. I think the facts are the industry has lifted more people out of poverty, continues to do so. Every other major industry in the world is doing that. There has also been a major contributor.
▶ 2:57:49Sen. Sullivan: It never gets talked about with regard to our leadership on global omissions. Leadership. So, that, Mr. zeldin, look at that chart. That has been fact checked to death because the far left hates it, but this is what senator ricketts was talking about earlier about american innovation. This is what senator graham was talking about earlier.
▶ 2:58:14Sen. Sullivan: There are some people working hard on reducing emissions, countries, and there are countries that are not. Senator graham mentioned china and india. He is exactly right. You never heard this from john kerry, but the leader in the world in the last 20 years on reducing global omissions was the united states of america. Ok? The bad guys -- in terms of omission increases -- look at china. Through the roof.
▶ 2:58:44Sen. Sullivan: This is a fact. Now, I have asked some of the biden epa officials, why do you think this happened? Why do you think we are the leader? It would be great that you said it, if we are. They come back and say, epa regulations? Wrong answer. The reason this happened is because of the revolution in the production of natural gas.
▶ 2:59:09Sen. Sullivan: Where we have switched to natural gas as a cleaner burning source of energy, and when we export natural gas around the world, Mr. zeldin, what do you think that does to global omissions?
▶ 2:59:22Mr. Zeldin: It brings it down, senator.
▶ 2:59:25Sen. Sullivan: These are facts. I wish senator whitehouse was here, because they don't like this chart because it goes against their narrative. And the narrative that is the facts is that when you have all of the above energy, including a big mix in natural gas, you reduce quibble omissions.
▶ 2:59:46Sen. Sullivan: So, can you commit to senator ricketts' point, to work with us and private industry on innovation that can help power america, power our allies, produce american energy, and at the same time lower emissions?
▶ 3:00:01Mr. Zeldin: Yes, senator. Absolutely, american innovation has been critical and will be critical going into the future. That is something that president trump has often spoke of and I believe it is one of the reasons why we saw so much support for him in last november's election.
▶ 3:00:18Sen. Sullivan: In alaska -- and I have talked to president trump recently -- we have a very large-scale lng project that will reduce our trade deficit by billions by exporting natural gas to our asian allies. Good, clean-burning alaskan gas to americans. And would produce thousands of american jobs.
▶ 3:00:41Sen. Sullivan: Can I get your commitment to help us work on that large-scale lng project, which will help continue these global mission reductions?
▶ 3:00:48Mr. Zeldin: Senator, I would welcome the opportunity, if confirmed, to work with you on this and other issues.
▶ 3:00:55Sen. Sullivan: Great. I have another mapper want to show you. We have talked about aviation fuel. It is a huge issue to my constituents. We got at an extension for alaska, given our pilot safety issues, our aviation safety issues. There was a congressman from new jersey, he tried to limit this.
▶ 3:01:19Sen. Sullivan: In my view he should be more focused on cleaning up new jersey than worried about aviation safety in alaska. Can I get your commitment to work on this?
▶ 3:01:29Mr. Zeldin: As I gave you my commitment then, I reiterated today for all of your constituents, we had a very long, substantive conversation on a lot of topics you are fighting for for alaska, and I welcome the opportunity to work with you on all of that.
▶ 3:01:45Sen. Sullivan: Great, thank you. Me give you one final map and one final question. It is a little, get it. This is the american medical association study on life expectancy changes in america, ok? This is from 1980 to 2014. Purple and dark blue, that is where life expectancy changes happened the most. Ok? To 13 years.
▶ 3:02:12Sen. Sullivan: Unfortunately you see yellow, red, certain places there was a life expectancy decrease. That is mostly the opioid epidemic. My state led this. It led it because alaskan natives, which is where most of these communities are, about 20% of my population, started at a real low level. Lowest life expectancy.
▶ 3:02:34Sen. Sullivan: Then what happened, on the north slope, the borough, research developing happened. Oil and gas happened. Opening up fisheries happen. Resource development happened, and people's lives increased on average by up to 13 years. So here is my quick issue. This is a matter of life and death in my stead.
▶ 3:03:03Sen. Sullivan: And the indigenous people in particular, who I care deeply about, have benefited tremendously from resource development. President biden comes in with his secretary of interior. She doesn't listen to native people. They issued executive orders to shut down resource development in my state, which is going to hurt people, hurt their life expectancy.
▶ 3:03:26Sen. Sullivan: So, when we talk about this stuff, we are against resource development, oil and gas, for my constituents this is a matter of life and death. And it has brought gymnasiums and health clinics and water and sewer. Can I get your commitment to work with me on these issues, on resource development that and if it the native people tremendously in my state? The biden administration has talked about environmental justice.
▶ 3:03:56Sen. Sullivan: This is environmental injustice when they shut down communities' opportunity to develop resources, and their focus on minority communities, I think that is great, but they have had a big asterisk. Not for alaska natives. It is an outrage. This helps my communities.
▶ 3:04:18Sen. Sullivan: And I get your commitment to work with the alaska native communities in my state on this issue, on the other issue you talked about, contaminated lands, water, and sewer? We have communities that don't have clean water and flush toilets. He did not get the help from the biden administration. They talked a big game, communities of color. I need your help on this.
▶ 3:04:41Mr. Zeldin: Understood, senator. You have my commitment to work with you on this.
▶ 3:04:45Chair Capito: Senator kelly.
▶ 3:04:48Sen. Kelly: I want to discuss another issue with you that has affected the western united states significantly. Especially arizona, on the navajo nation. It is the issue of abandoned uranium mines. We have about 500 of them. The nation has been working to clean up these mines for decades now, but the bureaucratic process has meant that very little progress has been made on this.
▶ 3:05:17Sen. Kelly: It contaminates water, and just the radiation itself is -- causes cancer. One step which was taken during the last trump administration was to establish a regional office called the office of mountains, deserts, and planes which would focus on cutting through the bureaucracy and accelerating the cleanup of minds in the west.
▶ 3:05:44Sen. Kelly: Senator hollis and I introduced legislation which passed this committee unanimously called the legacy mine cleanup act, which would authorize the creation of the office and accelerate mine cleanup across the western united states. Will you commit to having your team reviewed the legislation quickly, so we can then incorporate epa's feedback before we introduce the bill this year?
▶ 3:06:10Mr. Zeldin: Yes, senator.
▶ 3:06:12Sen. Kelly: Will you commit to ensuring the issue of abandoned uranium mines remains up early for the epa?
▶ 3:06:19Mr. Zeldin: Yes, senator.
▶ 3:06:21Sen. Kelly: Thank you for that. One final thing I want to discuss with you is -- and I know you have spoken about this during the hearing already today. I was not in the room but my understanding is you talked about pfas. As we discussed in my office last week, groundwater is the backup source of drinking water for both phoenix and tucson, and it is an aquifer mostly under the city of tucson, where gabby and I live.
▶ 3:06:54Sen. Kelly: This has become more critical, this backup water supply, as the drought conditions in the west has worsened. But especially the groundwater under tucson in those aquifers have been contaminated with growing pfas polonius, and the city had to shut down nearly 30 groundwater wells because the water exceeded the epa's drinking water limits.
▶ 3:07:20Sen. Kelly: To date the city has spent more than 70 $1 million on remediation costs and are in negotiations with epa region nine, with the air force, with the state, the tucson airport, and other private parties to resolve this. Throughout this process and spanning across presidential administrations epa region nine has been a consistent partner in addressing these challenging issues. Mr.
▶ 3:07:47Sen. Kelly: Zeldin, if confirmed will you commit to working with my team and the city of tucson to address the tucson pfas contamination?
▶ 3:07:55Mr. Zeldin: Yes, senator.
▶ 3:07:57Sen. Kelly: Thank you, Mr. zeldin. Thank you for spending the time. I know this has been a long process and a long hearing. It is great seeing your family here. I look forward to having the opportunity in the committee, and eventually on the floor for the vote. Anka. -- thank you.
▶ 3:08:17Chair Capito: Thank you. Senator ricketts.
▶ 3:08:23Sen. Ricketts: Presuming you get confirmed, you are going to have to work to reestablish the credibility, reestablish the trust for the epa. That is going to involve -- involve a process of transparency and good-faith action on the epa's part. Part of what I expect you to bring back his accountability.
▶ 3:08:46Sen. Ricketts: President biden's epa had a 41.5 alien dollar program -- 41.5 billion dollar program to carry out epa mandates and environmental justice. How many additional dollars went to the inspector general's office to conduct oversight over those funds that went out? Zero, none. That is a problem, when you are spending that kind of dollars.
▶ 3:09:11Sen. Ricketts: Can we have your commitment that you will look into this to make sure those dollars were spent appropriately, that the process was followed properly for all of those dollars to make sure that any dollars not spent appropriately -- in fact, senator capito and I had a press conference on how some of these dollars were being distributed. But you will work to clawback those taxpayer dollars?
▶ 3:09:30Mr. Zeldin: Yes, senator.
▶ 3:09:33Sen. Ricketts: Great, thank you. We talked about the ev mandate. Part of what these dollars is supposed to be pushing is these ev mandate. Of the 147 communities in my state that are classified as cities 99 of them do not have a single ev charger. If you are living in communities like wingfield, valentine you are 45 minutes away from the nearest charging station.
▶ 3:10:01Sen. Ricketts: And in my state ev adoption is 2%, and the current mandate that the epa is pursuing with their emissions standards was to have two thirds of all new vehicles being sold as ev's in the year 2032. That is clearly not realistic, and we should allow american innovation to help us reduce the impact on the environment, not have the administration pick one solution they want to push.
▶ 3:10:27Sen. Ricketts: You commit to rolling back these out of touch mandates that are costly to americans and dangerous to our energy grid and increase our reliance on our adversaries?
▶ 3:10:37Mr. Zeldin: Senator, it is my obligation if confirmed to be following my obligations under the law. And with regards to the administrative seizures act, rules, laws are set out that guide the way I answer that question. I'm not allowed to pre-judge outcomes going into rulemaking to ensure that there is durability of any decision to be made at the end of the process where my answer to that question could potentially be used against any type of a rule, regulation that is made.
▶ 3:11:08Mr. Zeldin: I will tell you that I have heard concerns from you and many others in this chamber of how important it is to look at rules that are currently on the books. I do not sit before you with any type of announcement I am able to make with any rules that are going to change upon confirmation.
▶ 3:11:31Mr. Zeldin: I will tell you that I will not pre-judge outcomes, however it is my commitment to follow my obligations under the law set by congress to look at decisions that have been made by the united states supreme court, and to make sure that we are pursuing commonsense, pragmatic solutions that make sense to you, that you can defend when going back to the constituents you fight so hard for from your home state.
▶ 3:11:56Mr. Zeldin: I look for to the opportunity of being able to make you proud, being able to make this entire committee, the chairman proud, and hitting the ground running to do my part so the epa is being accountable to you as a senator and accountable to your constituents as taxpayers and americans.
▶ 3:12:10Sen. Ricketts: Thank you, congressman's one of the things we also talked about was certainty. There is another area of certainty that we have talked about and want to continue to talk about. The supreme court's sackett v epa decision narrowed the clean water act. Here is one of the things that drives me nuts. It is not just the biden.
▶ 3:12:37Sen. Ricketts: The clean water act over 50 times says navigable waters. Navigable waters says you can put ago -- put a boat on it and go somewhere. That is the merriam-webster terms. Clearly the scope of what congress' intent was.
▶ 3:12:55Sen. Ricketts: The decision was, president biden's revisions have confused by talking about things like relatively-permanent waters or unclear determinations over which are jurisdictional under the law. Farmers deserve more than an epa that may someday provide water. Will you provide clear guidance as administrator?
▶ 3:13:22Mr. Zeldin: I believe it is important for the epa to provide clear and durable guidance as it relates to waters of the U.S. the sackett decision is easy to understand for any of those property owners in your state, yet still they have questions as it relates to the rules and regulations on the books. It should be as clear as possible so that your people can understand without having to go hire an attorney or someone else to assist with positions.
▶ 3:13:53Sen. Ricketts: I would remind you that the clean water act says navigable waters. Congress' intent could not be more clear, and so I will just remind you as you are going to that process to keep that in mind. Thank you, c1
▶ 3:14:15Sen. Markey: , I you, senator. Respectfully to my friend from nebraska, there is no ev mandate, doesn't exist. There is no ev mandate. It is not a mandate. It is a clean car standard. It is just technology neutral, driven by american innovation. And the need to protect our environment. So, there is no mandate. I have to keep repeating that every time.
▶ 3:14:44Sen. Markey: Again, congressman, project 2025 proposes to eliminate the office of enforcement and compliance assurance at the epa. Do you agree with that proposal?
▶ 3:14:59Mr. Zeldin: First off, I have an -- I have never read any word of --
▶ 3:15:02Sen. Markey: I'm not going to ask if you read it, but do you agree with the proposal to eliminate the office of enforcement and compliance assurance at the epa?
▶ 3:15:12Mr. Zeldin: While that is something that I had never thought of before you asking that question, no. It is an important function of the epa, and we have had good extended conversations here about that topic during today's hearing.
▶ 3:15:30Sen. Markey: Ok, again, that just prompted the question and the answer is a very good answer. Thank you. On the epa clean cot rule, it is projected to cut air pollution, and prevent 2500 premature deaths in a single year.
▶ 3:15:55Sen. Markey: And over the life of it, it would obviously be tens of thousands of lives which are saved, and it would save drivers $46 billion in fuel costs. 15 billion barrels of oil that would not have to be used, and $6,000 over the life of the new vehicle. So if confirmed, are you planning to initiate a new rulemaking that could undermine those clean car standards?
▶ 3:16:21Mr. Zeldin: Senator, if confirmed, I cannot sit before you and announced the initiation of any new rules. I have no announcements to make of rules that are going to change, and I plan on following my obligations under the law to ensure that throughout my tenure, if confirmed as epa administrator, that I never prejudge outcomes heading into that process.
▶ 3:16:49Sen. Markey: Again, the savings are quite profound for american consumers dollars in their pockets because of those much higher standards that don't require oil to be put into gasoline tanks. We put about 70% of all the oil we consume. In september, rfk junior, the health and human services nominee, went on the Dr.
▶ 3:17:11Sen. Markey: Phil show and he said "it is glisan -- it is life's sake which is the active ingredient in roundup." it is the pesticides, its people up, the forever chemicals wear masks poisoning -- where we are mass poisoning an entire generation of kids.
▶ 3:17:37Sen. Markey: Do you agree with that conclusion by rfk junior that these pesticides are mass poisoning the kids in our country?
▶ 3:17:44Mr. Zeldin: I would welcome an opportunity to be able to read through all of the science and research that is being cited to support that conclusion, to be able to answer that question following the review of that material. That is a review that I would need to take -- need to engage in.
▶ 3:18:05Sen. Markey: It's obviously a very serious question. And it is one that hopefully would have the epa working with hhs on a resolution of that issue. And in the two and a half years since its passage, the inflation reduction act has spurred the creation of 400,000 jobs, and $420 billion in investment.
▶ 3:18:38Sen. Markey: 193 million of direct federal spending has gone to your former commercial district since 2022. Regardless of your stance on the bill back then, it did become law in more than 68 billion dollars has already been appropriated by the epa from the ira and the bipartisan infrastructure law.
▶ 3:19:07Sen. Markey: Aryou going to ensure that epa's ongoing implementation of grants, which have already been fairly awarded under existing laws, like the ira and the bipartisan infrastructure law, that they are not impeded, or held up for political reasons?
▶ 3:19:26Mr. Zeldin: My commitment is to follow the law. As it relates to so much of what is being discussed during this hearing, that is the obligation that motivates me. I have to be prepared to sit before this committee and be able to answer questions as it relates to funds that have gone out the door. Not just currently but also in the future.
▶ 3:19:50Mr. Zeldin: It is important for me to get my hands -- my head all wrapped around everything that has been going out the door. Senator, I was concerned when there was a video a few weeks ago of a political appointee at the epa who was talking about how they are tossing gold bars off the titanic to distribute billions of dollars before inauguration day on monday. I don't know at all what grants were being referenced with that repeated comment. It was also referenced in the video that they were tossing these gold bars off the titanic with an eye toward getting themselves jobs from recipient ngo's. I don't know what any of that is about but that is concerning to me.
▶ 3:20:21Mr. Zeldin: I me. I want to be able to I want to be able to answer you and every member of this committee that I'm being a good steward of the tax dollars.
▶ 3:20:37Sen. Markey: I just want to remind you that 80% of all of those grants have gone to republican districts. So, that is something that you should keep in mind in terms of, I would say, the impartiality of what those decisions have been at the epa. That is not just some ideological set of decisions that 80% of money is.
▶ 3:21:07Sen. Markey: Going to read states I heard you are saying. But I just hope you would resist the temptation to hold a witch hunt and to break out though torches and pitchforks to go after all of these programs. Because I think they must have been pretty fairly given out, if a blue presidency at the epa led it to 80% of the money going to districts.
▶ 3:21:35Sen. Markey: I just want a presumption of innocence of you in terms of the decisions that were made.
▶ 3:21:40Mr. Zeldin: Yes, senator. I just want to be able to account.
▶ 3:21:44Sen. Markey: I appreciate that. I just need your assurance that you do assume that most of this was done unfairly.
▶ 3:21:51Mr. Zeldin: Senator, I would only assume as I said here that upon review, that there will be -- I will find out about all sorts of funding that went out the door that was following the law as written by congress.
▶ 3:22:10Mr. Zeldin: All I'm saying is I want to have the ability to sit before chairman o who has been vocal on this issue, and be able to answer her question on a specific grant she has spoken out about four grants that committee members may speak about in the future. I want to be in a position to account to all of you as far as the dollars being spent by epa. I can only assume that there will be funding, from that review, that will be in accordance with the law.
▶ 3:22:37Chair Capito: I'm going to go to senator schiff. Thanks.
▶ 3:22:40Sen. Schatz: Thank you, madam chair. Although california banned the installation of lead pipes in 1985, the average home in south los angeles is over 70 years old. And more likely to contain corroded lead plumbing than other regions in the state. Lead in drinking water from old pipes and plumbing system -- systems as a public health threat, especially for children. Out of the 58 counties in the state of california, fresno county has one of the largest numbers of children with high levels of lead in their blood.
▶ 3:23:14Sen. Schatz: In 2016, nearly 14% of children tested in one fresno neighborhood reported high lead levels. 25% of schools in fresno reported finding lead coming from their drinking water fountains. 40 homes have blood levels above the federal limit. In october, the epa announced new regulations requiring drinking water systems across the country to identify and replace all lead pipes within 10 years.
▶ 3:23:37Sen. Schatz: Will you continue the epa's work to help local communities like those in fresno and in south los angeles replace lead pipes, particularly in many of these communities that are historically underserved?
▶ 3:23:50Mr. Zeldin: I will look forward to that opportunity to work with you on this issue.
▶ 3:23:56Sen. Schiff: The epa administers 12 geographic programs, long-standing geographic specific programs that help protect local ecosystems and communities from climate change, habitat loss, and pollution.
▶ 3:24:14Sen. Schiff: Their efforts to add the salt and see in california, which is an ecological disaster, potentially paired with the great salt lake, which has similar ecological and health issues, as part of epa's geographic program designation. If successful, that would mean revenues that could be used to mitigate that environmental hazard in a very neglected part of the state.
▶ 3:24:42Sen. Schiff: Will you pledge to consider adding the salton sea to one of these geographic programs?
▶ 3:24:51Mr. Zeldin: Yes, senator. I know from our conversation yesterday just how important this is to you. I look forward to getting more familiar about this issue, and that certainly can be my commitment as I sit here today, that if confirmed, I would welcome that opportunity to work with you on this issue and see what I can do to assist.
▶ 3:25:14Sen. Schiff: Thank you. Let me address a third critical issue affecting the health and well-being of millions of californians, and that is her quality. Not only in the aftermath of the ongoing wildfires, but also in the breadbasket of america. Unfortunately, we have some of the worst air quality in the nation.
▶ 3:25:42Sen. Schiff: Failing to meet federal health standards for ozone and pollution. This pollution impacts our families, children, communities. Last summer, residents of fresno had just 10 days of healthy air, a stark reminder of the urgency of the situation. The epa has long supported california's efforts to address this crisis through clean vehicle programs, regulatory actions and strong enforcement.
▶ 3:26:07Sen. Schiff: We have to continue this vital work pushing for policies that protect public health and create a cleaner, healthier future for the san joaquin valley and all of california. Do you support investments like the ones that the epa has made in the san joaquin valley to improve the quality of air there?
▶ 3:26:25Mr. Zeldin: Senator, to the maximum extent possible under the law that I, if confirmed as epa administrator can assist on this and all of the other issues you referenced here today, I would welcome that opportunity to be able to work with you. As far as specific funding commitments, I need to make sure that I'm following my obligations under the law that congress sets out as to how funding should be appropriated, so that I can account to you afterwards.
▶ 3:26:55Mr. Zeldin: Moving forward, if there is any funding, now and in the future that epa has an obligation to distribute to help with this, I welcome that opportunity. It is possible I might need to defer to congress to be able to give me access to funding for investments in the future, if that is part of what you are referring to. Regardless, you have my commitment to work with you on this.
▶ 3:27:20Sen. Schiff: I appreciate it. Finally, one of the things that I found most striking as I have traveled around the state in the last couple years, I expected coming from an l.a. District to get a full indoctrination on water and the competition between the cities and the farms over water. And I did. But what was more striking to me was just how many tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people in places like the central valley can't drink their own water.
▶ 3:27:52Sen. Schiff: I'm not talking about lead, though lead is a problem there. But the flooding of dairy waste ponds into water wells come about depletion of the aquifers resulting in manganese, there are just thousands of people who are told you can't drink your water, can't bathing your water. A lot of these communities don't have the resources to address it.
▶ 3:28:20Sen. Schiff: And if confirmed, I would want to work with you to do everything we can to make sure everyone in the state of california and the country has access to good, clean drinking water.
▶ 3:28:29Mr. Zeldin: Yes, senator. This is extremely important. No american should feel like a story they might hear about, read about of poverty in iraq or afghanistan. No american should feel like they are living in some third world country or some war-torn country. Every american should be able to access clean water, portable water.
▶ 3:28:57Mr. Zeldin: And that is something I look forward to doing, to be able to work with you and everyone on the committee to ensure we are delivering as a nation.
▶ 3:29:04Sen. Schiff: Thank you, madam chair.
▶ 3:29:06Chair Capito: Thank you. I am going to ring -- bring this down to a close. My office has received numerous letters of Mr. zeldin nomination to the sources of these letters demonstrate the wide-ranging support of his -- I would ask for consent to enter these letters into the record for all to see. I would like to thank you, congressman zeldin. I would also make two several quick observations.
▶ 3:29:37Chair Capito: It is obvious to me in the testimony and the questions that you took a lot of time and effort through you and the folks that were helping you to make sure every member had access to you and had a conversation with you before you testified before the committee. I think that was definitely reflected in the tone and substance we saw here today. I appreciate that. I know it is time consuming and difficult sometimes to get on everybody schedule, but I think you did a magnificent job here.
▶ 3:30:06Chair Capito: So, without further questions, I would like to thank you, and thank your family for being here, and for your participation. Senators who wish to submit without -- with written questions have until 5:00 p.m. Tomorrow, friday, january 17 to do so. The nominees responses to those questions for the record are due back to the committee no later than 9:00 a.m. On tuesday, the day after inauguration, january 21. With that, I look very much forward to helping to shepherd you.
▶ 3:30:37Chair Capito: I think you have done an excellent job here today. You will be in an excellent administrator to the epa and I fully expect your confirmation will be positive. Thank you very much. And everybody enjoy the day. Thank you. Adjourned.