ICYMI: Administrator Zeldin: “The Golden Age of American Success is Upon Us”

This week, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin shared the great strides the EPA has taken to safeguard clean air, land, and water while Powering the Great American Comeback in his first month on the job. The Administrator has wasted no time identifying and eliminating waste and abuse from the agency, taking steps to unleash American energy, overseeing a record-breaking cleanup effort following the California wildfires, ending the Biden-era EV mandate, lowering consumer prices on appliances by rolling back Biden-era regulations and more. He also highlighted President Trump’s leadership and vision for a stronger, more prosperous union in the President’s Joint Address to Congress. 

Read what Administrator Zeldin had to say in his exclusive op-ed for the National Review: 

“The golden age of American success is upon us. In just one month, the Trump administration has achieved more than most presidents accomplish in four years. It’s about promises made, promises kept.

“I was sworn in as the 17th administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency just one month ago, and we have already taken great strides to power the great American comeback. We are working tirelessly to ensure clean air, land, and water for every American, while simultaneously driving economic growth by unleashing energy dominance, pursuing permitting reform, making the United States the AI capital of the world, and bringing back American auto jobs.

“Under President Trump’s leadership, the EPA will strive to accomplish all this while fulfilling our commitment to the rule of law, advancing cooperative federalism, and being good stewards of your hard-earned tax dollars.

“In my first days, I crisscrossed the country while overseeing an unprecedented emergency response, slashed wasteful spending, and championed American energy independence — all while restoring accountability within the agency.

“Working with DOGE, we cancelled $171 million in wasteful DEI and environmental-justice grants and contracts, and another $1 million in media subscriptions; $50 million of this now-cancelled funding went to the Climate Justice Alliance, which believes that ‘climate justice travels through a Free Palestine.’ The days of shoveling millions of dollars to far-left radical organizations in the name of climate equity are over.

“Further, my team uncovered extensive troubling developments with $20 billion in “gold bars” that the Biden EPA ‘tossed off the Titanic.’ These taxpayer funds were parked at an outside financial institution to rush out the door and circumvent proper oversight; $20 billion was given to just eight pass-through nongovernmental entities in an effort riddled with self-dealing, conflicts of interest, and an extreme lack of qualifications. The Department of Justice has been working hard to assist us so that we can remain accountable to American taxpayers.

“In just a few short weeks, we have taken significant measures to spearhead America’s return to energy dominance. We approved West Virginia’s application for primacy over Class VI wells, giving the state primary authority to protect groundwater and bolstering energy dominance. I was honored to join President Trump’s National Energy Dominance Council, and have taken action to lower appliance costs for everyday Americans by overhauling the Biden-era WaterSense program. I will work alongside my cross-agency counterparts to slash energy costs for families struggling to heat their homes, fill their gas tanks, and afford groceries, while reducing American dependence on foreign adversaries.

“We also ended Covid-era remote work and proudly renamed our Gulf of America division.

“I have also taken action regarding California’s outsized heavy hand on national vehicle regulations, transmitting the Biden administration’s California waiver rules to Congress — a step that the Biden administration deliberately avoided. This had prevented members of Congress from deciding on the Biden administration’s allowing California to create a separate, stricter regime of regulations that provided a different model for states to follow. Congress can now decide the fate of these waivers through the Congressional Review Act. This move protects consumer choice and vehicle affordability.

“At President Trump’s direction, the EPA executed the largest wildfire hazardous waste cleanup in agency history and finished in just 28 days — beating the 30-day timeline set for us.

“I am committed to understanding firsthand the environmental challenges that communities face rather than managing from behind a desk in Washington. I was honored to join Vice President JD Vance in East Palestine, Ohio, on the two-year anniversary of the tragic train derailment. I also traveled to survey wildfire damage in Los Angeles and met with affected residents. I checked in on hurricane recovery efforts in Western North Carolina and toured improved water infrastructure in Flint, Michigan.

“In just 30 days, we have revived both the EPA’s environmental mission and its commitment to American prosperity. By prioritizing results over ideology, fiscal responsibility over wasteful spending, and cooperation over confrontation, we are demonstrating that environmental protection and economic growth are complementary.

“President Trump will deliver his joint address to Congress today. In it, he will outline his inspiring path forward for our nation. It’s about promises made, promises kept as we enter the golden age of American success to achieve a stronger, more prosperous union. This is just the beginning. I look forward to four more years of winning as the EPA does its part to power the Great American Comeback.”