U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lee Zeldin addressed on March 25 the Environmental Council of the States (ECOS), a national nonprofit association of state and territorial environmental agency leaders.
In his address, Zeldin highlighted key regulatory priorities as part of his agency’s Powering the Great American Comeback initiative, including permitting reform, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances regulation, revisions to safe drinking water rules, and the agency’s emergency response to environmental incidents in East Palestine, Ohio; Los Angeles and Western North Carolina.
“Cooperative federalism is a main pillar of the Powering the Great American Comeback initiative,” he said. “In developing our nation’s environmental statutes, Congress recognized the important role of states and their co-equal authority with EPA. Our legislators understood that states are best positioned to work with unique communities and implement laws. However, in too many instances and across too many administrations, EPA has retained control of implementing many laws from its perch in the nation’s capital. It’s this kind of commonsense reform I want to partner with states to achieve.”
Zeldin’s initiative consists of five pillars that will guide EPA’s work over the first 100 days and beyond. According to the EPA press statement, the initiative will help the agency advance its core mission of protecting human health and the environment while energizing the American economy.
During his remarks, Zeldin provided more detail on his vision for and actions to achieve Pillar 3, permitting reform, cooperative federalism and cross-agency partnership. These include signing a final rule approving West Virginia’s request for Class VI primacy under the Safe Drinking Water Act that recognizes the state’s ability to best protect underground sources of drinking water, and recent deregulation moves, including reconstituting the Science Advisory Board and Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee.
