Two New Yorkers Take Lead Roles at EPA
WASHINGTON—A former New York Congressman from Long Island and a former State Senator from the Hudson Valley are taking lead roles at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the Trump administration.
Former Long Island Congressman and New York gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin was sworn in as Administrator of the EPA on Jan. 29. In addition, multiple published reports indicate that former New York State Senator Mike Martucci was recently appointed as Administrator for the EPA’s Region 2, which covers New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and eight Indian Nations.
Administrator Zeldin, born and raised in Suffolk County, NY, is currently in his 22nd year in the United States military, having deployed to Iraq in 2006 with the Army’s Elite 82nd Airborne Division and continues to serve as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Reserve. He served in the New York State Senate from 2011-2014 and later represented New York’s 1st Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives from 2015-2023. He ran an unsuccessful campaign to unseat New York Gov. Kathy Hochul last year.
During his eight years in Congress, Zeldin worked across party lines to preserve the Long Island Sound and Plum Island. He supported key legislation that became historic, bipartisan success stories like the Great American Outdoors Act and Save our Seas Act to clean up plastics from our oceans. He also led the fight for Sea Grant, combated per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water, voted for the Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act, and supported clean energy projects on Long Island.
While no official announcement was made on Mr. Martucci’s appointment, the U.S. EPA website lists Mr. Martucci as Administrator. He replaced Alyssa Arcaya, who had served as Region 2 Acting Administrator. The website now lists Ms. Arcaya as Deputy Regional Administrator: Mr. Martucci served as a member from 2021-2022 of the New York State Senate representing the 42nd District, which covers portions of Orange, Ulster, and Delaware counties as well as all of Sullivan County. During this two-year tenure in state government, he was a supporter of New York’s Environmental Bond Act and passed legislation related to open space protection and inland waterway designation throughout his district.
A resident of Orange County, after graduating college, he founded a school transportation company, Quality Bus Service, which grew to a firm that employed more than 500 workers. A family farmer, he is also the owner of the parent company of Mid Hudson News.