Trump EPA pick says he’ll protect clean air… by making the air dirtier?
It looks like the next EPA head will likely be Lee Zeldin, a former New York Congressman and failed gubernatorial candidate, and he’s already promising policy moves that would make the air dirtier and increase health and fuel costs for Americans.
The nominee doesn’t have a particularly extensive environmental background, without a lot of specific advocacy on environmental topics.
As a result, various environmental protection organizations have released statements pointing out his poor record on environmental legislation in the past and expressing concern at his likely destructive rollbacks to come. In 2020, while he was in Congress, he received the worst environmental score out of the entire New York congressional delegation.
Estimations of the likelihood of these destructive actions can be informed by the period between 2017-2021, which was marked by severe corruption by two EPA heads with deep ties to the oil & gas and coal industries.
The first of those EPA heads, Scott Pruitt, gained prominence by suing the EPA to stop clean air, and in his tenure ended up being so corrupt that he was forced to resign – quite a feat given that administration’s over 3,700 conflicts of interest.
The second, Andrew Wheeler, was a coal lobbyist who tried to orchestrate a $70 billion bailout for the coal industry and showed incredible ignorance and mendacity when discussing the state of his own agency’s regulations.
What we do know about Zeldin’s plans were announced this morning, when he noted to the media that he wants to pull back on the EPA regulations of the last four years.
While we don’t know what specific regulations he intends to target, it is likely that there would be sweeping and/or scattershot actions to reduce the progress of the last four years. Regulations implemented by the EPA under President Biden will save Americans $250B/year in health and energy costs and save 200k lives in total.
Rolling back those regulations, as Zeldin has said he wants to do, would cost Americans money in the form of higher health and fuel costs, and would cause more death.
The reason these rollbacks would cause more death and higher costs is because they would increase air pollution, which is a major driver of death and disease and a major drain on economic productivity. The rollbacks would also increase costs because the targeted regulations are focused on efficiency, and reducing efficiency means higher energy costs for the nation in total.
We also know that Zeldin has received a similar amount of money from the oil & gas industry as Trump’s first corrupt EPA pick. Zeldin has received $269,608 in lifetime political bribes from the Oil & Gas industry – not his largest chunk of donations when sorted by industry, but still significant. This is similar to the pricetag on corrupt oil & gas stooge Scott Pruitt, who earned around $300k in bribes from oil & gas for his work to advance dirty air prior to his appointment as chief saboteur of the EPA.
In exchange for these relatively low pricetags, the richest and most destructive industry in the history of the world – which receives over $700 billion in subsidies yearly in the US alone – received significant boosts from destructive actions at the agency that is tasked with keeping the air you breathe clean.
Alongside his statements today, Zeldin also said that will make these rollbacks “while protecting access to clean air and water,” but it remains to be seen how that is possible. Given that the specific policy actions he has already suggested are incredibly destructive to clean air, this particular quote rings as if it may be untrue. He also said something about artificial intelligence, which it’s unclear what the EPA has anything to do with (unless he was referring to doing something about the massive unnecessary energy use from the sector, but that seems unlikely).
Zeldin said that he wants to ensure US “energy dominance,” which is unlikely to happen with any strategy that focuses away from the technologies of the future. The EPA’s actions of the last four years, and President Biden’s actions as a whole, have all coalesced around a strategy of bringing EV and battery manufacturing to the US so that the US can be ready to provide the products of the future.
Mr. Trump, in contrast, is already seeking to roll back the policies that have successfully led to hundreds of billions in investment and hundreds of thousands of jobs in green industry, despite him being ignorant of what those policies are in the first place.
While in Congress, Zeldin voted against the Inflation Reduction Act, the bill that brought those jobs and billions in investment to the US. But in yet another piece of Orwellian doublespeak, Zeldin said today that he wants to “bring back American jobs to the auto industry,” despite it being clear that he and Mr. Trump both want to roll back policies that have brought back American jobs to the auto industry.
All that said, Zeldin also was a member of a bipartisan “climate solutions caucus” in 2016, and voted against a republican amendment to slash EPA funding in 2020. So it’s not all bad, it’s just 86% bad.
And there is one more silver lining here. Earlier this year, the “Supreme” Court stupidly opined that government agencies should be restrained in their ability to do their jobs when it eliminated something called the Chevron doctrine.
You can read more about that here, but in short, the opinion would make it harder for EPA to change regulations going forward. So Zeldin might have his work cut out for him, as he will likely have to fight against the scientists at his own agency and the courts to implement the dirty-air policies that he has already indicated he wants to implement.
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Environment
EcoFlow members can save up to 65% on power stations while supporting disaster relief during the 2025 Member’s Festival
Portable power station specialist EcoFlow is kicking off its third annual Member’s Festival this month and is offering a unique new rewards program to those who become EcoFlow members. The 2025 EcoFlow Member’s Festival will offer savings of up to 65% for its participating customers, and a portion of those funds will be allocated toward rescue power solutions for communities around the globe through the company’s “Power for All” fund.
EcoFlow remains one of the industry leaders in portable power solutions and continues to trek forward in its vision to power a new tech-driven, eco-conscious future. Per its website:
Our mission from day one is to provide smart and eco-friendly energy solutions for individuals, families, and society at large. We are, were, and will continue to be a reliable and trusted energy companion for users around the world.
To achieve such goals, EcoFlow has continued to expand its portfolio of sustainable energy solutions to its community members, including portable power stations, solar generators, and mountable solar panels. While EcoFlow is doing plenty to support its growing customer base, it has expanded its reach by giving back to disaster-affected communities by helping bolster global disaster response efforts the best way it knows how– with portable power solutions.
EcoFlow and its members look to provide “Power for All”
Since 2023, EcoFlow has collaborated with organizations worldwide as part of its “Power for All” mission. This initiative aims to ensure access to reliable and timely power to disaster-affected communities across the globe, including rescue agencies, affected hospitals, and shelters, to support rescue and recovery efforts.
This fund most recently provided aid for communities affected by the recent Los Angeles wildfires, assistance to the Special Forces Charitable Trust (SFCT) in North Carolina following severe hurricanes, and support for non-profits engaged in hurricane preparedness in Florida and the Gulf Coast. Per Jodi Burns, CEO of the Special Forces Charitable Trust:
In the wake of devastating storms in Western North Carolina, reliable power was a critical need for the families we serve. Thanks to EcoFlow’s generous donation of generators, we were able to provide immediate relief, ensuring these families and their communities had access to power when they needed it most. We are so impressed with EcoFlow’s commitment to disaster response through their ‘Power for All’ program. It has made a tangible impact, and we are deeply grateful for their support and partnership in helping these families recover and rebuild.
In 2024, the US experienced 27 weather and climate events, each causing losses exceeding $1 billion, marking the second-highest annual total on record, according to National Centers for Environmental Information. The increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters underscore the critical need for reliable and timely power solutions during emergencies, much like EcoFlow and its members are helping provide through the “Power For All” initiative.
To support new and existing EcoFlow members, the company is celebrating its third annual Member’s Festival throughout April to offer a do-not-miss discount on its products and donate a portion of all sales to the “Power for All” fund to provide rescue power to those in need in the future. Learn how it all works below.
Save big and give back during the 2025 Member’s Festival
As of April 1st, you can now sign up to become an EcoFlow member to participate in the company’s exclusive 2025 Member Festival.
As a member, you can earn “EcoFlow Power Points” by completing tasks like registration, referrals, and product purchases and tracking your individual efforts toward disaster preparedness and recovery.
Beginning April 4, EcoFlow members will also be able to take advantage of exclusive discounts of up to 65% off select portable power stations, including the DELTA Pro Ultra, DELTA Pro 3, DELTA 2 Max, DELTA 3 Plus, RIVER 3 Plus, and more. However, these sale prices only last through April 25, so you’ll want to move quickly!
Click here to learn more about EcoFlow’s “Power for All” campaign. To register for EcoFlow’s 2025 Member Festival in the US, visit the EcoFlow website. To register as a member in Canada, visit here.
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Tesla is losing another top talent: its long-time head of software, David Lau, has reportedly told co-workers that he is exiting the automaker.
Tesla changed how the entire auto industry looks at software.
Before Tesla, it was an afterthought; user interfaces were rudimentary, and you had to go to a dealership to get a software update on your systems.
When Tesla launched the Model S in 2012, it all changed. Your car would get better through software updates like your phone, the large center display was responsive with a UI that actually made sense and was closer to an iPad experience than a car.
Tesla also integrated its software into its retail experience, service, and manufacturing.
David Lau deserves a lot of the credit for that.
He joined Tesla in 2012 as a senior manager of firmware engineering and quickly rose through the ranks. By 2014, he was promoted to director of firmware engineering and system integration, and in 2017, he became Vice President of software.
Lau listed the responsibilities of his team on his LinkedIn:
- Vehicle Software:
- Firmware for the powertrain, traction/stability control, HV electronics, battery management, and body control systems
- UI software and underlying Embedded Linux platforms
- Navigation and routing
- iOS and Android Mobile apps
- Distributed Systems:
- Server-side software and infrastructure that provides telemetry, diagnostics, over-the-air updates, and configuration/lifecycle management
- Data engineering and analytics platforms that power technical and business insights for an increasingly diverse set of customers across the company
- Diagnostic tools and fleet management, Manufacturing and Automation:
- Automation controls (PLC, robot)
- Server-side manufacturing execution systems that power all of Tesla’s production operations
- Product Security and Red Team for software, services, and systems across Tesla
Bloomberg reported today that Lau told his team he is leaving Tesla. The report didn’t include reasons for his stepping down.
Electrek’s Take
Twelve years at any company is a great run. At Tesla, it’s heroic. Congrats, David, on a great run. You undoubtedly had a significant impact on Tesla and software advancements in the broader auto industry.
He is another significant loss for Tesla, which has been losing a lot of top talent following a big wave of layoffs around this time last year.
I wonder who will take over. Michael Rizkalla, senior director of software engineering and vehicle firmware, is one of the most senior software engineers after Lau. He has been at Tesla for 7 years, and Tesla likes to promote within rather than hire outsiders.
There are also a lot of senior software execs working on AI at Tesla. Musk has been favoring them lately and he could fold Lau’s responsibilities under them.
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Kia’s electric SUVs are taking over. The EV3 is the best-selling retail EV in the UK this year, giving Kia its strongest sales start since it arrived 34 years ago. And it’s not just in the UK. Kia just had its best first quarter globally since it started selling cars in 1962.
Kia EV3 is the best-selling EV in the UK through March
In March, Kia sold a record nearly 20,000 vehicles in the UK, making it the fourth best-selling brand. It was also the second top-seller of electrified vehicles (EVs, PHEVs, and HEVs), accounting for over 55% of sales.
The EV3 remained the best-selling retail EV in the UK last month. Including the EV6, three-row EV9, and Niro EV, electric vehicles represented 21% of Kia’s UK sales in March.
Kia said the EV3 “started with a bang” in January, darting out as the UK’s most popular EV in retail sales. Through March, Kia’s electric SUV has held on to the crown. With the EV3 rolling out, Kia sold over 7,000 electric cars through March, nearly 50% more than in Q1 2024.
The EV3 was the best-selling retail EV in the UK in the first quarter and the fourth best-selling EV overall, including commercial vehicles.
Starting at £33,005 ($42,500), Kia said it’s the “brand’s most affordable EV yet.” It’s available with two battery packs, 58.3 kWh or 81.48 kWh, good for 430 km (270 miles) and 599 km (375 miles) of WLTP range, respectively.
With new EVs on the way, this could be just the start. Kia is launching several new EVs in the UK this year, including the EV4 sedan (and hatchback) and EV5 SUV. It also confirmed that the first PV5 electric vans will be delivered to customers by the end of the year.
Electrek’s Take
Globally, Kia sold a record 772,351 vehicles in the first quarter, its best since it started selling cars in 1962. With the new EV4, the brand’s first electric sedan and hatchback, launching this year, Kia looks to build on its momentum in 2025.
Kia has also made it very clear that it wants to be a global leader in the electric van market with its new Platform Beyond Vehicle (PBV) business, starting with the PV5 later this year.
Earlier today, we learned Kia’s midsize electric SUV, the EV5, is the fourth best-selling EV in Australia through March, outselling every BYD vehicle (at least for now). The EV5 is rolling out to new markets this year, including Canada, the UK, South Korea, and Mexico. However, it will not arrive in the US.
For those in the US, there are still a few Kia EVs to look forward to. Kia is launching the EV4 globally, including in the US, later this year. Although no date has been set, Kia confirmed the EV3 is also coming. It’s expected to arrive in mid-2026.
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