Zeldin Said He’d Protect Clean Air and Water. The EPA Budget He Brought To Congress Tells a Different Story.

The statement contends that EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has overseen a period of significant deregulation and funding cuts that undermine public health and environmental protection. It highlights the removal of human life valuation from air pollution analyses, the cancellation of $22 billion in environmental justice grants, and a 90 percent budget cut to the Clean Water State Revolving Fund despite PFAS reduction being listed as a priority. The author asserts that these actions, alongside the dismantling of the Office of Research and Development and a 52 percent overall budget cut, prioritize industry interests over scientific integrity and community health.

• The EPA under Lee Zeldin stopped accounting for the value of human lives in air pollution protection analyses in January 2026, a move that critics argue contradicts the Clean Air Act. The Environmental Protection Network estimates that 12 of 31 rollbacks announced in March 2025 could result in nearly 200,000 premature deaths over 25 years and over 10,000 daily asthma attacks.
• Zeldin canceled $22 billion in environmental justice grants and closed all 10 regional environmental justice offices. An inspector general investigation found no wrongdoing regarding the grants, and federal courts indicated the EPA likely violated the Administrative Procedure Act by failing to conduct individualized reviews before cancellation.
• Despite designating the reduction of PFAS exposure as an Agency Priority Goal in the FY 2027 budget, the EPA cut funding for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund—the primary tool for removing PFAS from drinking water—by 90 percent.
• The EPA's operational capacity has been significantly reduced, including a 52 percent budget cut, the loss of approximately 4,000 staff members, and the dismantling of the Office of Research and Development. Enforcement capacity has been reduced by nearly half.
• Economic analysis presented at a Senate hearing suggests that vehicle standard rollbacks led to a net consumer loss of $180 billion, while $580 billion flowed to the oil industry. Additionally, Clean Air Act exemptions for six coal plants resulted in $230 million in excess energy costs.

APA

Zniber, S. (2026). Zeldin Said He’d Protect Clean Air and Water. The EPA Budget He Brought To Congress Tells a Different Story. Earthjustice. https://earthjustice.org/experts/ranjani-prabhakar/zeldin-said-hed-protect-clean-air-and-water-the-epa-budget-he-brought-to-congress-tells-a-different-story

Chicago

Zniber, Siham. Zeldin Said He’d Protect Clean Air and Water. The EPA Budget He Brought To Congress Tells a Different Story. Earthjustice, 2026. https://earthjustice.org/experts/ranjani-prabhakar/zeldin-said-hed-protect-clean-air-and-water-the-epa-budget-he-brought-to-congress-tells-a-different-story.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Zniber |first1=Siham |title=Zeldin Said He’d Protect Clean Air and Water. The EPA Budget He Brought To Congress Tells a Different Story. |publisher=Earthjustice |date=5 May 2026 |url=https://earthjustice.org/experts/ranjani-prabhakar/zeldin-said-hed-protect-clean-air-and-water-the-epa-budget-he-brought-to-congress-tells-a-different-story |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{zniber2026zeldin, author = {Zniber, Siham}, title = {{Zeldin Said He’d Protect Clean Air and Water. The EPA Budget He Brought To Congress Tells a Different Story.}}, publisher = {Earthjustice}, year = {2026}, month = may, url = {https://earthjustice.org/experts/ranjani-prabhakar/zeldin-said-hed-protect-clean-air-and-water-the-epa-budget-he-brought-to-congress-tells-a-different-story}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }