The Shadow
Zeldin’s Five Pillars
As I have discussed in a previous column, my Congressional calendar is going to be filled with new assignments.
I still serve on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, but I was recently appointed as chair of the Committee’s Subcommittee on Environment.
The Trump Administration will be pursuing a number of environmental reforms to unleash American energy dominance and lower the costs of energy consumption.
One of Trump’s first Executive Orders declared a national energy emergency to facilitate domestic energy production.
Another Order rescinded President Biden’s executive actions that restricted Alaskan energy development.
Alaska will now be free of regulations that hindered its ability to explore and develop liquified natural gas in the region.
A key asset to carrying out Trump’s environmental agenda is the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The agency is now headed by my former colleague in the U.S. House, Administrator Lee Zeldin.
After Zeldin’s confirmation in January, he went right to work.
Zeldin visited disaster-impacted communities in North Carolina, Los Angeles and East Palestine.
As it pertains to the wildfire recovery efforts in Los Angeles, the EPA is engaged in the agency’s largest wildfire cleanup ever.
These visits come on the heels of Vice President JD Vance’s visit to Southwest Virginia, where he met with Governor Youngkin in Damascus to update the region on Hurricane Helene recovery efforts.
The Trump Administration has signaled its commitment to helping these communities respond, rebuild and recover.
Further, Zeldin is heading a new initiative at the EPA.
“Powering the Great American Comeback” consists of five pillars to promote environmental stewardship without restricting economic growth.
Pillar One is entitled “Clean Air, Land and Water for Every American.”
President Trump was committed in his first term to conservation efforts, cleanup of hazardous waste sites and reduction of emissions in the air while fostering economic growth. Pillar One reaffirms those practices.
Pillar Two is “Restore American Energy Dominance.”
During President Biden’s Administration, domestic energy production was hampered by “green new deal” policies.
Biden imposed a pause on approving terminal applications for exporting liquified natural gas.
Biden’s actions also shut down the Keystone XL Pipeline, which could have helped the United States prevent draining our Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
And the Keystone XL Pipeline would have kept gas prices lower.
By unleashing American energy, Trump will bolster American energy security and over time help lower the fuel costs we saw rise sharply under Biden.
Pillar Three focuses on permitting reform.
In line with the above, too many burdensome regulations undercut our ability to attract investments from able and innovative companies.
Zeldin makes it a goal of his EPA to work with state and federal authorities to ensure projects are not unreasonably harassed by radical left environmentalist policies, but instead welcomed with appropriate environmental oversight.
By streamlining this process, companies can invest millions in our nation and promote job growth.
Pillar Four sets a goal of making the United States the world’s artificial intelligence (AI) capital.
AI data centers take a lot of energy in order to operate. We need energy at a cost that is competitive, or we will lose the race to lead on AI.
Recently, Vice President Vance visited France for the global AI Action Summit.
Needless to say, AI is an emerging phenomenon with implications for economic growth, security and governance. It is critical for the U.S. to not fall behind, and I am glad that Zeldin recognizes this.
The fifth and final pillar emphasizes American manufacturing of cars and vehicles.
The auto industry faced considerable concerns under the Biden Administration. Biden’s “green new deal” policies promoted the use of electric vehicles and discouraged consumers from purchasing American-made gas-powered cars.
In many parts of the United States, including large segments of the Ninth District, electric vehicles are just not practical at this time.
Further, such policies threaten American auto manufacturing jobs and an industry that so many American families rely upon.
Protecting and bringing back these auto jobs to the U.S. is a step in the right direction for the EPA.
These five pillars will take into careful account environmental stewardship while inheriting the energy demands of the country.
As chair of the Environment Subcommittee, I will explore ways to support Administrator Zeldin in Powering the Great American Comeback.
If you have questions, concerns, or comments, feel free to contact my office. You can call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671. To reach my office via email, please visit my website at morgangriffith.house.gov. Also on my website is the latest material from my office, including information on votes recently taken on the floor of the House of Representatives.
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