Senate EPW Committee advances Zeldin’s nomination to lead the EPA
Lee Zeldin, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to serve U.S. EPA administrator, appears before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Jan. 16.
January 24, 2025
BY Erin Voegele
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Jan. 23 voted 11-8 to advance the nomination of Lee Zeldin to serve as administrator of the U.S. EPA. The next step in the confirmation process is a full Senate vote.
The 11-8 committee vote was mostly along party lines. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., was the only democrat to vote in favor of advancing Zeldin’s nomination.
President Trump first announced plans to nominate Zeldin to lead the U.S. EPA in November 2024. Zeldin previously served as a member of Congress, where he cosponsored legislation to repeal and revise the Renewable Fuel Standard and nullify existing waivers allowing the sale of E15.
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Members of the EPW Committee pressed Zeldin on issues related to the RFS, E15 and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) during a confirmation hearing held Jan. 16. In his testimony, Zeldin committed to setting timely and appropriate RFS renewable volume obligations (RVOs), if confirmed.
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