Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) and Congressman Troy Carter (LA-02) introduced the Zealously Eliminating Legal Decisions of Ineptitude and Negligence (ZELDIN) Act to establish guardrails on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin's authority to terminate federal grants and abandon enforcement actions that protect communities from carcinogens for the remainder of the Trump administration.

"Administrator Zeldin has abandoned federal lawsuits protecting communities from toxic chemicals, canceled grants that Houston families and local governments depend on, and dismantled the standards that ensure environmental rules are grounded in science and public health—often without legal authority and always without accountability," said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher.  "The ZELDIN Act strengthens oversight and the legal requirements necessary to rein in this out-of-control Administrator, and I am glad to work with Congressman Carter to introduce this important legislation."

“My bill is about restoring accountability and ensuring the EPA never turns its back on the communities it’s intended to protect,” said Congressman Troy Carter.  “At its core, this bill reaffirms a simple principle: safeguarding the health and environment of Americans is not optional—it is the EPA’s fundamental duty.”

If enacted, the ZELDIN Act would:

• Require a mandatory legal review before any grant termination.  Last year, the Trump administration canceled $250 million in federal funding for solar and battery storage in Harris County—a grant issued during the Biden administration that would have helped families save an average of $468 per year in energy costs.  The ZELDIN Act would prevent future grants like these from being canceled for political purposes;
• Preserve funding during legal disputes. The EPA has been pulling back awarded funds even while grant recipients are still challenging terminations in court or through administrative appeals, effectively ending legal disputes before they can be fairly resolved.  The ZELDIN Act, would halt this practice;
• Restore public health and economic analyses by requiring EPA to assess the public health and economic effects of major rules before finalizing them, a standard practice the Trump administration has abandoned, weakening the factual foundation for health-protective regulations;
• Require Congressional review of carcinogen lawsuit dismissals by establishing a joint Congressional review process before EPA could dismiss a lawsuit or withdraw a referral of claims involving the release of carcinogens, ensuring those decisions are made with proper oversight; and
• Holds EPA accountable by creating penalties for an Administrator who violates the act and gives individuals aggrieved by a violation of the act the right to pursue damages in court. 

To view the full text of the ZELDIN Act, click here.