“We are driving a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion to drive down the cost of living for American families, unleash American energy, bring auto jobs back to the U.S. and more,” Zeldin said Wednesday in a news release.

“We are living up to our promises to unleash American energy, lower costs for Americans, revitalize the American auto industry and work hand-in-hand with our state partners to advance our shared mission,” Zeldin added.

The proposed regulatory actions include reconsidering:

• Regulations on power plants.
• Regulations on the oil and gas industry.
• Mercury and air toxins standards that target coal-fired power plants.
• The mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program that raised U.S. energy costs.
• Limitations, guidelines and standards for steam electric power generation.
• Wastewater regulations for coal-fired power plants.
• A risk management program that Zeldin says made oil and natural gas refineries and chemical facilities more dangerous.

Zeldin said the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program does not improve air quality but does raise costs for American businesses and manufacturing by millions of dollars while harming small businesses.

Revising the wastewater regulations for oil and gas extraction would modernize regulations on wastewater discharges for oil and gas extraction facilities while lowering energy costs and supporting environmentally sustainable water re-use, Zeldin said.

He said the EPA will consider expanding from the western United States to the entire nation where treated wastewater can be added to agricultural and wildlife water uses, support the extraction of lithium and other critical minerals and manage wastewater used in the extraction of oil and gas.

Other regulatory actions are designed to lower the cost of living for U.S. families and promote “cooperative federalism.”

Among those actions is reconsidering the EPA’s 2009 declaration that greenhouse gases are harmful pollutants that endanger public health.

“The Trump administration will not sacrifice national prosperity, energy security and the freedom of our people for an agenda that throttles our industries, our mobility and our consumer choice while benefiting adversaries overseas,” Zeldin said.

“We will follow the science, the law and common sense wherever it leads,” Zeldin added, “and we will do so while advancing our commitment towards helping to deliver cleaner, healthier and safer air, land and water.”

Those actions include reconsidering the Biden administration’s regulations and greenhouse gas emissions standards for light-duty and medium-duty vehicles made in 2027 and beyond and repealing the federal electric vehicles mandate.

“The American auto industry has been hamstrung by the crushing regulatory regime of the last administration,” Zeldin said.

“As were consider nearly $1 trillion of regulatory cost, we will abide by the rule of law to protect consumer choice and the environment.”

Zeldin’s announcement of pending EPA regulatory actions drew criticism from the Natural Resources Defense Council environmental group.

“In the face of overwhelming science, it’s impossible to think that the EPA could develop a contradictory finding that would stand up in court,” NRDC climate expert David Doniger told CBS News.

Jackie Wong, NRDC senior vice president for climate and energy, accused the EPA of abandoning its mission.

“Breaking faith with the American people and breaking 50 years of laws of the land, the Environmental Protection Agency today abandoned protecting human health and the environment,” Wong said in a prepared statement.