President-elect Donald Trump has picked former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Zeldin said that he would "unleash US energy dominance, make America the AI capital of the world, [and] bring American auto jobs back home." He did not clarify what he meant by AI capital, with the leading generative AI companies, hyperscalers, and chip designers already US-based.

The nominee will have to be confirmed by the Republican-controlled US Senate.

Zeldin spent four terms as a Republican congressman for eastern Long Island before losing the 2022 New York governor’s race to Democrat Kathy Hochul. He accused Hochul of a “far-left climate agenda” and Democrats of forcing people to drive electric cars. Hochul later signed a law placing a two-year pause on cryptocurrency mining in the state.

Trump said in a statement: “Lee, with a very strong legal background, has been a true fighter for America First policies. He will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet."

In his previous stint as President, Trump rolled back more than 100 environmental rules. Zeldin has a score of 14 percent from the League of Conservation Voters on his votes on environmental issues over 15 years in Congress - a low mark, but higher than most Republicans.

He has voted against clean water legislation a dozen times, and clean air legislation at least six times. However, he did vote in favor of a bill that would require the EPA to set limits on PFAS, and voted against a bill to cut the EPA's funding. It is not known whether he denies the scientific fact of anthropogenic climate change.

Environmental groups criticized the appointment, including the Sierra Club, Earthjustice, and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

Manish Bapna, president of the NRDC, said: "We can meet demand for data centers without scrapping EPA rules to clean up dirty power plants and cut climate pollution.

"We need EPA leadership that will protect the environment and public health. That’s a big enough job without looking outside the agency’s charge."

Trump campaigned on a plan to “kill” and “cancel” the EPA, and is expected to slash jobs and funding at the agency.