Reps. Carter, Fletcher Introduce the ZELDIN Act to Safeguard Americans from EPA Failures and Protect Public Health

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-LA) and Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX) introduced the Zealously Eliminating Legal Decisions of Ineptitude and Negligence (ZELDIN) Act, a bill to establish critical accountability measures and legal protections that will safeguard communities from Trump's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) failures and ensure the EPA fulfills its core mission to "protect public health and the environment."

"My bill is about restoring accountability and ensuring the EPA never turns its back on the communities it's intended to protect," said Rep. 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."

The ZELDIN Act establishes stronger oversight, accountability, and legal safeguards to ensure the EPA fulfills its mission to protect public health and the environment. It requires congressional approval before the EPA can drop certain cases involving carcinogens, adds legal checks before grants can be terminated, and protects grant recipients during disputes. The bill also empowers individuals to seek relief if they are harmed by EPA actions, enforces stricter rulemaking standards that include public health considerations, and imposes penalties for violations.

"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 Rep. 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."

Background:

The ZELDIN Act:

• Establishes strict congressional oversight over EPA decisions by prohibiting the Administrator from dismissing lawsuits or withdrawing DOJ referrals involving the release of EPA-identified carcinogens unless Congress is formally notified and subsequently passes a joint resolution of approval through expedited procedures.
• Restricts the Administrator's authority by requiring legal review before terminating grants, prohibiting the de-obligation of grant funds while related litigation is pending, and shielding grantees from negative federal reporting or future grant consequences tied to contested terminations.
• Creates judicial remedies-allowing harmed individuals to seek injunctive relief, damages, and attorneys' fees-and imposes a potential salary reduction to $1 for the Administrator if a court finds violations.
• Codifies analytical requirements for EPA rulemaking, including the consideration of the economic benefits of reducing asthma, heart disease, and premature deaths.

Congressman Troy Carter is an environmental justice champion - securing funding for community lighthouses and the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, introducing the Public Health Air Quality Act, and fighting to reduce air pollution and strengthen community resilience to natural disasters.

Full text of the bill can be found here.

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