How Trump's EPA head has transformed the agency — and sided with polluters

How Trump's EPA head has transformed the agency — and sided with polluters

From Fresh Air by NPR

April 29, 2026 · 45 min

About this episode

Elizabeth Kolbert discusses the changes made by EPA chief Lee Zeldin under the Trump administration and their implications for environmental regulations.

‘New Yorker’ staff writer Elizabeth Kolbert says EPA chief Lee Zeldin has rescinded regulations, cut or eliminated departments and terminated the jobs of many scientists. Trump calls Zeldin "our secret weapon." The Pulitzer Prize-winning environmental journalist spoke with Terry Gross. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

People in this episode

Host: Terry Gross

Guest: Elizabeth Kolbert

Topics covered

  • environmental policy
  • EPA regulations
  • Trump administration
  • pollution
  • scientific integrity

Keywords

  • EPA
  • Lee Zeldin
  • Elizabeth Kolbert
  • Trump
  • environmental journalism
  • pollution
  • regulations

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: EPA, New Yorker, NPR

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