Agriculture Industry Reacts to Lee Zeldin’s Confirmation as EPA Administrator

Attorney and politician Lee Zeldin was confirmed as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for Trump’s second term in a 56-42 vote on Wednesday. Agricultural industry groups, including several biofuels advocates, released statements reacting to the news and expressing their priorities for the newest cabinet member.

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is the largest association of cattle producers and “works to create new markets and increase demand for beef.” Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane congratulated Zeldin saying the organization looks “forward to working with him to protect the clean water and healthy soil that American agriculture relies on every day.”

Lane said, “For too long, the EPA has stood for ‘Ending Production Agriculture.’ Under Administrator Zeldin, we look forward to an EPA that acknowledges the conservation efforts that are only made possible by cattle farmers and ranchers—America’s original conservationists.”

National Corn Growers Association

National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is a farmer-led trade organization that represents the interests of more than 300,000 farmers.

Illinois farmer and President Kenneth Hartman Jr. said it was encouraging to hear Zeldin “understood the importance of extending year-round, nationwide access to E15” during the confirmation hearing.

Hartman invited Zeldin to use NCGA as “a resource as he and his colleagues make decisions about these and other issues of importance to the agricultural community.”

American Coalition for Ethanol

American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) is a membership organization that “promotes and protects opportunities for the ethanol community.”

CEO Brian Jennings said the organization looks forward to working with Zeldin to “keep the Renewable Fuel Standard on track, including safeguarding against the misuse of Small Refinery Exemptions and promptly moving forward on biofuel blending obligations for 2026 and beyond.”  

ACE’s other priorities for the new EPA administrator include, “providing consumers with choices to use higher blends of ethanol in flexible fuel vehicles, supporting efforts to ensure nationwide year-round availability of E15, and applying the most recent GREET model to determine the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions for corn ethanol.”

Renewable Fuels Association

Renewable Fuels Association is the leading trade association for America’s ethanol industry, driving growth in sustainable renewable fuels and bioproducts for a better future. In a congratulatory statement President and CEO Geoff Cooper said the organization looked forward to “working together to implement President Trump’s vision for unleashing American energy, bolstering economic security, creating jobs, and supporting our nation’s farmers.”

He added, “As noted during his Senate confirmation hearing, Mr. Zeldin understands that ethanol and other renewable fuels will play an important role in accomplishing the President’s energy and environmental objectives. We are confident he will support timely and transparent implementation of the Renewable Fuel Standard, take steps to facilitate expansion of lower-cost fuel blends like E15, and revisit extreme regulations that force automakers to produce costly electric vehicles that are heavily dependent on foreign raw materials.”

Growth Energy

As the nation’s largest biofuel trade association, Growth Energy is the leading voice of America’s biofuel industry. 

After the “encouraging confirmation hearing” for Zeldin, Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor said, “Administrator Zeldin has made it clear that he understands how important American-made biofuels are to President Trump’s efforts to unleash American energy dominance.” She added, “He’s also committed to advancing year-round E15 and ensuring that America’s farmers and biofuel producers have the regulatory certainty under the Renewable Fuel Standard to plan and invest in rural growth. We thank Administrator Zeldin for agreeing to work alongside Senator Pete Ricketts and other rural champions on Capitol Hill to deliver a much-needed boost to the farm economy and greater fuel savings for hardworking Americans with homegrown ethanol.”