From USA TODAY.

Lee Zeldin, the former New York congressman tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is set to face his Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday.

Zeldin served as a Republican congressman from New York and represented parts of Long Island between 2015 and 2023. He left his seat to run for the New York governor’s office in 2022 but was eventually defeated by Gov. Kathy Hochul.

Trump has touted Zeldin as a person who will advocate for deregulation and allow for an expansion of fossil-fuel energy. Environmental groups have opposed the pick, however, citing Zeldin’s history of anti-environmental voting while in Congress.