Trump’s pick of Lee Zeldin for EPA shows he’s serious about protecting the economy and the environment

President-elect Donald Trump meant it when he vowed to juice the economy by rolling back needless regulations, and nothing proves that more than his choice of ex-Rep. Lee Zeldin to head the Environmental Protection Agency.

Zeldin — who in 2022 came closer to becoming New York governor than any Republican in decades — is perfect for the job.

He has long opposed loony green rules that needlessly cost jobs.

Yet he’s also shown deep concern for the environment.

It’s the ideal balance. And he’s the third New Yorker, counting Elise Stefanik as UN ambassador and Tom Homan to head ICE, to join Trump’s team.

“We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs and make the US the global leader of AI,” vows the Long Island native.

But “we will do so while protecting access to clean air and water.”   

Trump echoed that, promising Zeldin would “ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions” and “set new standards on environmental review” to allow “healthy and well-structured” growth.

It’s music to the nation’s ears.

America needs to kill terrible regs and mandates imposed as the Biden-Harris crew pandered to far-left greenies.

Zeldin and Trump, for example, aim to reverse the drive to force motorists to ditch gas-powered cars, with a target of 50% electric-vehicle sales by 2030.

As former Interior Secretary David Bernhardt warned during the campaign, America is headed for an energy-capacity “shortfall” of at least 30% by 2032, thanks to “soaring demand and retiring coal.”  

Zeldin will be a part of Trump’s push to foster generating plants, pipelines, gas and oil drilling, new nuclear-power tech and other energy infrastructure — boosting energy supplies, lowering costs and aiding businesses.

The new EPA boss will also need to weed out the mountains of other mindless, business- and job-killing agency rules.

Bet on him to get that done: In the 2022 governor’s race, Zeldin vowed to scrap New York’s idiotic fracking ban, which denied Empire State residents the enormous benefits it provides Pennsylvanians right next door.

And he rightly called out some of the state’s insane climate goals.

But he’s all for sane green goals: He takes pride, for instance, in having secured funding for projects to protect the Long Island Sound.

And his role on the House’s Bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus is more proof of his desire to ensure proper balance between business and the environment.

Bottom line: With Zeldin at EPA, Americans can look forward, finally, to a sane regulatory regime that safeguards both the economy and the environment.