HomeAg NewsLee Zeldin Confirmed to Lead EPA

Lee Zeldin Confirmed to Lead EPA

(WASHINGTON D.C.) — On Wednesday, former New York Congressman Lee Zeldin was confirmed by the Senate to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.

By a vote of 56-42, Zeldin will now oversee the EPA and will no doubt help shape numerous policies that impact agriculture, biofuels and more under the Trump Administration. Numerous biofuel and agriculture groups have been encouraged by statements from Zeldin during his confirmation process and have indicated they look forward to working with him.

Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Geoff Cooper said in a statement that they look forward to working with Administrator Zeldin to implement President Trump’s vision for unleashing American energy. “As noted during his Senate confirmation hearing, Mr. Zeldin understands that ethanol and other renewable fuels will play an important role in accomplishing the President’s energy and environmental objectives,” according to Cooper. “We are confident he will support timely and transparent implementation of the Renewable Fuel Standard, take steps to facilitate expansion of lower-cost fuel blends like E15, and revisit extreme regulations that force automakers to produce costly electric vehicles that are heavily dependent on foreign raw materials. We are eager to collaborate with Administrator Zeldin and his entire team at EPA to empower greater use of more affordable, cleaner-burning, domestically produced liquid fuels.”

“Administrator Zeldin has made it clear that he understands how important American-made biofuels are to President Trump’s efforts to unleash American energy dominance,” said Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor. “He’s also committed to advancing year-round E15 and ensuring that America’s farmers and biofuel producers have the regulatory certainty under the Renewable Fuel Standard to plan and invest in rural growth. We thank Administrator Zeldin for agreeing to work alongside Senator Pete Ricketts and other rural champions on Capitol Hill to deliver a much-needed boost to the farm economy and greater fuel savings for hardworking Americans with homegrown ethanol.”

The National Corn Growers Association also congratulated the new administrator. “We want to congratulate Administrator Zeldin for being confirmed by the Senate to lead EPA,” said NCGA President Kenneth Hartman Jr. “We look forward to working with him on issues of great importance to corn growers, such as increasing ethanol blends and ensuring access to inputs required to produce food, feed, and fuel. It was particularly encouraging to hear Administrator Zeldin say during his confirmation hearing that he understood the importance of extending year-round, nationwide access to E15. We invite the administrator to use us as a resource as he and his colleagues make decisions about these and other issues of importance to the agricultural community.”

American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) CEO Brian Jennings issued a statement saying in part that “we congratulate Lee Zeldin on his confirmation to lead EPA and look forward to working with him to keep the Renewable Fuel Standard on track, including safeguarding against the misuse of Small Refinery Exemptions and promptly moving forward on biofuel blending obligations for 2026 and beyond. Other priorities we will be raising with Administrator Zeldin include providing consumers with choices to use higher blends of ethanol in flexible fuel vehicles, supporting efforts to ensure nationwide year-round availability of E15, and applying the most recent GREET model to determine the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions for corn ethanol.”

Also, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane issued a statement congratulating Lee Zeldin on his confirmation as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. “For too long, the EPA has stood for ‘Ending Production Agriculture.’ Under Administrator Zeldin, we look forward to an EPA that acknowledges the conservation efforts that are only made possible by cattle farmers and ranchers—America’s original conservationists,” according to Lane. “The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association congratulates Administrator Zeldin on his bipartisan confirmation, and we look forward to working with him to protect the clean water and healthy soil that American agriculture relies on every day.”

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