What Zeldin said 10 years ago about climate change

Daily Point

Zeldin's old comments get new scrutiny after EPA nod

Lee Zeldin is a surprise pick to head the Environmental Protection Agency in the new Trump administration. Zeldin, a loyalist, said he will enforce the Trump agenda to undercut Biden administration measures on power plant emissions, knock down California's primacy in setting strict standards on auto emissions, and allow more fossil fuel generation to feed the insatiable demand for energy that a massive use of artificial intelligence will require.

While opposition to Zeldin rose quickly from advocacy groups, his footprints on the topic — as a state senator and former member of Congress — are light.

The Newsday editorial board, which endorsed Zeldin for Congress in 2014, had a lengthy exchange with him on this topic during a two-hour endorsement interview that year that included his opponent Tim Bishop, then the Democratic incumbent.

As you will see from the transcribed comments on climate change below, Zeldin is hard to pin down but clearly exhibits an unease, at least a decade ago, about understanding the science on global warming.

Then again, he may have had some foresight about a White House appointment — not having definitive positions always helps nominees get through the Senate confirmation process.

Here is a transcribed version of the most salient comments Zeldin made in that 2014 interview. It started with a question about how urgent the need was to do something about climate change and, specifically, whether Zeldin would support a tax on carbon.

"I don't support a tax on carbon. I do believe that it's important for all of us to be good stewards of our environment. I think if you live on Long Island, if you grew up on our beaches or on our waterways, if you're drinking our drinking water, everyone here on Long Island is pro-environment.

"There are so many disagreements and debates about what exactly is true and what's not true in regard to climate change. Again, I am going back to a point I said earlier, I'm not going to make believe I am some kind of expert. I'm willing to listen to people who are a lot smarter than me to tell me what their positions are and what their science is.

"My experience has been that when you sit down with some of these groups they will sit with you and they will start talking in molecular, you know, like, chemicals. They know that they're talking in another language that I don't get but they sound really, really smart.

"They know I have no idea what they're talking about. I think it would be very productive if we could just get to exactly what is real and what is not real because I think both sides of the climate change debate are filled with people who are stretching truths ... Every time I’ve had any type of a conversation, they are purposefully talking over my head ...

"I would think that some of these solutions, assuming, let's just say, everything being advocated for as far as climate change being very real, everything was 100% true, some of the reforms to take care of our environment are good to do.

"You don't have to agree or disagree on climate change to support certain proposals. Now, that doesn't mean that I would necessarily be voting for anything that comes up."

— Rita Ciolli rita.ciolli@newsday.com

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Voter Shift

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Quick Points

Learning curve

• After her initial postelection comments about taking steps to protect New Yorkers from assaults on immigration, reproductive rights and climate change from President-elect Donald Trump, Gov. Kathy Hochul spoke to Trump about her willingness to collaborate on things like revitalizing Penn Station, New York City’s subway system, and the state’s semiconducting industry. Perhaps she’s learning.
• President-elect Donald Trump reportedly talked to Russian President Vladimir Putin and told him not to escalate the war in Ukraine. Here’s the thing: Putin has no need to escalate since his current strategy is working out fairly well.
• Gov. Kathy Hochul says she anticipated an election victory by President-elect Donald Trump and has a contingency plan on lifting her pause on congestion pricing. All appearances to the contrary.
• The Metropolitan Transportation Authority tried to crack down over the past year on toll evasion at bridges and tunnels but the number of drivers who tried to avoid the tolls by using obstructed or altered license plates rose by more than 12% during the first four months of this year. Perhaps they’re all anticipating the dawn of congestion pricing.
• Wall Street bonuses are projected to rise sharply this year after two years when payouts declined. You might say it’s a sign of an improving economy, but not for the people whose dissatisfaction determined the 2024 election.

— Michael Dobie michael.dobie@newsday.com

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