Zeldin melds Trump style with environmental policy on LI

Daily Point

Lee Zeldin’s homecoming

He talked about how good it was to sleep in his own bed, how President Donald Trump snatched away his chocolate dessert, and how Long Island needs to be the "tip of the spear" of artificial intelligence.

Suffolk County’s Lee Zeldin — now the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, formerly the 1st Congressional District representative for eight years — participated in "an informal chat" with the Long Island Association Friday at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury. As LIA president Matt Cohen directed questions, Zeldin expertly deflected criticism of the Trump administration while enumerating to the Island’s largest business group the need for local control.

Speaking to business and elected officials, Zeldin’s message was clear: The EPA will continue to protect clean air and water but businesses must police themselves.

"So during this last election, the number one issue from Americans across the country was related to concerns over the economy," Zeldin said. The Shirley native emphasized that America can’t choose either the environment or the economy.

"We can’t just sit back and decide, OK, which one do you want?" Zeldin told the audience. "We have to approach the challenges in this country by asking ourselves, ‘Is there a way to work through this challenge where we are both protecting the environment and your own income?’ "

When asked by Cohen about striking a balance between coal and renewables to be energy independent while also keeping environmental regulations, Zeldin recounted a story when he was recently visiting a copper mine in Utah.

"This is a moment in time for companies and industries to articulate how you care about the environment, to self-police within your own industry," Zeldin told the Long Island business titans. "If there is a bad actor who is ruining it for everybody, say something to them. If you’re a good steward of the environment, let it be known."

Zeldin thanked the room for giving him an "education" on environmental issues related to Long Island businesses, and explained a few times that clean air and water isn’t a partisan issue, while stressing that power needs — regardless of the source — must be met to foster economic growth.

When Cohen asked about Long Island’s role in artificial intelligence, Zeldin said the Island’s business leaders must decide about building generation to meet AI’s voracious energy appetite. "We can’t allow this move towards America being the AI capital of the world and Long Island being left out it, left behind," he said. "We should aspire to be the leader of AI of the country."

"We need to protect both the environment and grow the economy," Zeldin said. "We can’t just choose."

Still, Zeldin couldn’t resist opening his first statements with typical Trumpism: "The best was the photo on Trump Force One where he has Bobby Kennedy Jr. and he puts the Big Mac in front of him. ... That was a pretty amazing troll."

And when it comes to the missed chocolate dessert, Zeldin didn’t mind that the president gave his much-anticipated treat to someone else since it showed who Trump really cares about.

"I’m just sitting there with a spoon and no ice cream and on the way out, there’s this lineup of six servers who he goes into his pocket and has a pretty big wad of cash that day, I don’t know how much he normally carries around, but he just, like, grabs a bunch of bills and just hands it to each of the servers. I don’t know, I think that’s where he feels most comfortable, is to be able to be around other people."

— Mark Nolan mark.nolan@newsday.com

Pencil Point

Missing

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Quick Points

For whom the stocks toll

• A bunch of regular folks told Newsday that recent stock market gyrations are taking a toll on their mental health. If it’s any consolation, they’re taking a toll on stock market professionals, too.
• American and Iranian officials started nuclear talks over the weekend and agreed to meet again later this week. In America vs. Iran, this is progress.
• Fresh off his attention-grabbing 25-hour U.S. Capitol speechathon, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker was asked about a possible 2028 presidential run and said, "I’m focused on today ..." Why can’t politicians ever say simply no or yes?
• Asked about the public disagreement between presidential advisers Elon Musk and Peter Navarro over President Donald Trump’s tariffs sending contradictory messages, National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett said, "I disagree." Which was, you know, kind of perfect.
• There’s really only one way to read President Donald Trump pulling back on tariffs on electronic goods coming from China: In the struggle for supremacy between the two countries, Trump blinked.

— Michael Dobie michael.dobie@newsday.com

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