Letters

My wife, Lisa, and I have lived in Westhampton Beach for over 11 years. I am currently running for Southampton Town clerk in the upcoming November elections.

I write today with deep concern about recent decisions from Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin — decisions that threaten the very environmental future of Long Island residents.

Since being sworn in on January 29, 2025, Zeldin has launched an aggressive deregulatory agenda. He has proposed cutting the EPA budget by as much as 65 percent, far exceeding earlier proposals, and dismantled key research and enforcement functions within the agency. Scientific capacity has been slashed, with deep cuts or planned elimination of the Office of Research and Development.

Perhaps most alarming for our region is his rollback of the Endangerment Finding, a foundational 2009 determination that classified greenhouse gases as threats to public health, paving the way for decades of air and vehicle emissions regulation. Zeldin now aims to rescind it, calling the reversal “the largest deregulatory announcement in U.S. history.” The consequences of such a rollback would dramatically hinder efforts to address climate change — a pressing issue for coastal communities like ours.

Moreover, Zeldin has rolled back vital protections against PFAS — so-called “forever chemicals” — by removing federal limits on four key compounds found in drinking water. Long Islanders have fought hard to keep these toxins out of our water supply. The reversal is a “betrayal of public trust,” as environmental advocates warn it poses a “significant threat to public health.”

Budgetary cuts go deeper still: Zeldin has targeted billions in Biden-era Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund grants, proposals to claw back $20 billion meant to fund clean energy and climate resilience initiatives. He has also suspended or frozen substantial climate-related grants, prompting legal challenges from affected nonprofits.

Combined, these actions represent a retreat from environmental stewardship and scientific rigor toward an agenda favoring industrial and corporate interests. Scientists and environmental groups have decried the moves as “gutting the agency’s mission,” sidelining science and public welfare in favor of deregulation. At a recent Senate hearing, Democratic senators warned that slashing EPA funding and programs would lead to “more pollution, toxic water and increased cancer rates.”

For Long Islanders — especially vulnerable coastal and inland communities — the stakes could not be higher. With climate change accelerating, sea level rise, toxic contamination and air pollution are existential threats. Leadership that undermines environmental protections places future generations at risk.

I implore The Southampton Press, my neighbors, and our elected officials: Speak up. Demand that the EPA remain accountable, defend scientific integrity, protect public health and act decisively to preserve Long Island’s environment.

Mark Bernardo

Westhampton Beach