Senators press EPA nominee on PFAS, lead pipes and water affordability

Several senators used the confirmation hearing to press Lee Zeldin on drinking water contaminants and costs.

Senator Shelley Moore Capito and others raised local PFAS contamination and asked how Zeldin would use EPA authorities and enforcement to address long‑standing cleanups. Zeldin said he had served on a PFAS task force while in Congress, voted for the PFAS Action Act, and that cleanup across the country would be a “top priority” if he were confirmed. He emphasized enforcement and compliance as levers to move “decades” of delayed cleanup projects.

Senator Chris Murphy and Senator Blunt Rochester raised lead in drinking water and the bipartisan infrastructure law’s lead service‑line replacement funding. Zeldin said the EPA ‘‘must be better stewards of tax dollars’’ and promised to implement congressional funding “to congress’s intent,” and said he would support actions that deliver safe drinking water to children and communities.

On concerns that designating legacy PFAS as hazardous substances under CERCLA could expose local water systems and other “passive receivers” to liability and costly litigation, Zeldin acknowledged the issue and said it “could get passed down to the consumer” and must be handled cognizant of local governments’ financial exposure.

Local contamination examples were cited on the record: Tucson’s groundwater wells were shut due to PFAS and the city has spent tens of millions on remediation; senators from Maryland and New York referenced lead pipe replacement and Long Island contamination. Zeldin pledged to work with senators and states to address these site‑specific problems.

Ending: Senators pressed for timelines and funding certainty; the nominee committed to follow congressional funding directions and to prioritize PFAS cleanup and lead pipe replacement while warning against prejudging specific rule outcomes.