More than two-thirds of all congressional Democrats signed onto a letter Wednesday slamming EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin for his efforts to roll back environmental regulations, cancel renewable energy grants and purge hundreds of agency employees.
The new letter, bearing the names of 180 Democrats in the House and Senate, represents one of the party’s broadest and most unified swipes at Zeldin — a former House member — as he continues what he called the “biggest deregulatory action in U.S. history.”
Among other proposals, Zeldin has said he wants to cut EPA’s funding by 65 percent, recoup $20 billion in obligated funding for climate-focused nonprofits and eliminate programs dedicated to environmental justice, the idea that communities disproportionately affected by pollution ought to receive additional support for remediation.
The letter was led by Senate Environment and Public Works ranking member Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), House Energy and Commerce ranking member Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) and the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition, which has 100 members.
