Exclusive details: EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin visits WNC to assess Hurricane Helene recovery
Unannounced trip included stops in Lake Lure and Asheville
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LAKE LURE, N.C. — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin traveled to Lake Lure on Friday, February 7, 2025, to meet with local, state, and county officials to assess the damage caused by Hurricane Helene and discuss ongoing recovery efforts.
“When Hurricane Helene ripped through the Southeast, entire communities were destroyed. EPA has been on the scene ever since to assist residents and localities,” said Zeldin. “I want all residents in North Carolina, and other impacted states, to know that while Helene may no longer be in the headlines, the EPA will continue working with high impact and maximum effort.”
Lake Lure at the Center of Recovery Efforts
Zeldin’s visit began at the Lake Lure debris site at the Green Space (former town golf course) where he met with EPA Region 4 leadership and North Carolina state officials to discuss the challenges of storm debris removal and environmental restoration. Lake Lure, a popular tourist destination, sustained significant damage from Helene’s floodwaters, which clogged waterways with debris and raised concerns about water quality.
Following the site visit, Zeldin met with residents impacted by the storm before traveling to the North Fork Drinking Water Treatment Plant in Asheville and the Marshall Sewage Facility to oversee infrastructure recovery efforts.
Hazardous Materials Cleanup in the Lake Lure Region
The EPA has also been working under Emergency Support Function (ESF) #10, focusing on oil and hazardous materials cleanup in Lake Lure and surrounding counties.
ESF #10 may be activated as described in the National Response Framework (NRF) for a Stafford Act response, at the Secretary of Homeland Security's discretion, and/or in response to a request for Federal-to-Federal support. Federal response to oil or hazardous materials incidents may also be carried out under another key Federal response authority called the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP), which is a regulation with the force of law found at 40 CFR Part 300. The NCP serves as an operational supplement to the NRF and may be used in conjunction with, or independent from, the Stafford Act…The scope of ESF #10 includes the appropriate actions to prepare for and respond to a threat to public health, welfare, or the environment caused by actual or potential oil and hazardous materials incidents.
Since October 2, 2024, the EPA said they have:
Collected over 2,000 orphaned containers containing oil, hazardous materials, or propane.
Recycled more than 8,400 tons of metals and plastics.
Disposed of approximately 24,000 gallons of oil and water mixtures.
Retrieved 15–20 pounds of mercury, pending disposal.
Collected 26 drums containing oxidizers, caustics, acids, and other hazardous substances, also pending disposal.
Efforts in Lake Lure and nearby areas are ongoing, particularly in locations previously inaccessible due to debris or property restrictions. The EPA continues to monitor and address contamination concerns, with a public dashboard tracking recovery progress. However, the exact addresses are not publicly available. “Functionality of the map is limited. The purpose of the map is to show the areas of western North Carolina where the U.S. EPA is continuing (the) clean-up of hazardous materials. Features on the map are designed to disappear when the map is zoomed into a set scale to preserve personal privacy,” the EPA map website said.
Zeldin’s Visit Highlights Ongoing Federal Support
Administrator Zeldin’s trip to Lake Lure came directly after a visit to Los Angeles, where he met with residents and EPA teams responding to the largest wildfire cleanup in EPA history. Zeldin was only recently confirmed by the Senate.
While Hurricane Helene’s immediate impact has passed, recovery will linger for years. Lake Lure remains at the center of North Carolina’s recovery efforts, with federal and state agencies working together to rebuild and restore the community.
Opinion & Analysis: Cops & Congress Commentary
Was Lee Zeldin’s Visit to Lake Lure Hidden for Political Reasons?
When newly confirmed EPA Administrator Zeldin visited Lake Lure on Friday to survey the storm damage and discuss federal recovery efforts, the town stayed silent. No announcement. No public engagement. No local fanfare.
I only found out about it from a Lake Lure Google alert, which linked to the EPA press release. I then did some digging and found the NC Department of Environmental Quality Facebook post. I checked the town of Lake Lure's website and Facebook page, but nothing was there related to the visit. The photos clearly show Mayor Carol Pritchett, Fire Chief Dustin Waycaster, Assistant Fire Chief Chris Melton, and other officials with Administrator Zeldin.
For a community that has suffered significant storm damage and is relying on federal support to rebuild, this raises a serious question: Was this lack of transparency a deliberate political decision?
A Visit That Should Have Been Publicly Announced In Advance
Zeldin’s visit to Lake Lure wasn’t just another bureaucratic meeting—it was one of his first major field visits as EPA Administrator after being confirmed by Congress just last week. His trip signaled the federal government’s ongoing commitment to Western North Carolina’s recovery efforts.
The EPA has been deeply involved in Lake Lure’s cleanup, helping assess water safety, remove hazardous materials, and clear storm debris. A visit from the agency’s new leader should have been a major public event, giving residents a chance to ask questions and see firsthand how their government is responding. But instead, the visit was kept quiet.
Would It Have Been Different Under a Different Administration?
Let’s be honest—Lee Zeldin is a Republican. He’s a former New York congressman, a longtime ally of conservative leaders, and even ran for governor of New York in 2022. Rutherford County, like much of Western North Carolina, leans conservative, but state and federal environmental agencies are often controlled by Democratic leadership. The local town council is supposedly non-partisan, but the reality is different.
According to NC State Board of Election data, Scott Doster is the only Republican on the town council. Former Mayor and current council member Jim Proctor is a Democrat. Mayor Carol Pritchett, Mayor Pro Tem David DiOrio, and Town Councilman Christopher Bryant are registered as unaffiliated. You can research for yourself to see what political leanings town staff have.
Would this visit have been widely publicized if a Democrat had been leading the EPA? Would town officials have invited the press and the public if this had been a high-ranking Biden administration official instead? I think it’s a fair question to ask.
In an era where politics often dictate access and visibility, it’s hard to ignore the possibility that Zeldin’s party affiliation played a role in the lack of public engagement. If local officials or state leaders saw his visit as politically inconvenient, they may have chosen to downplay or ignore it entirely.
Transparency Shouldn’t Be Partisan
This isn’t about whether someone agrees or disagrees with Zeldin’s politics. It’s about government transparency and accountability. When a high-ranking federal official visits a disaster-stricken community, residents have a right to know. They have a right to hear from their leaders, to ask questions, and to see what’s being done on their behalf.
The lack of any announcement about Zeldin’s visit deprived Lake Lure residents of that opportunity. It suggests that, at best, local leaders failed to communicate effectively—or, at worst, they intentionally kept quiet because of political optics.
Watching Zeldin’s Rise—And Hoping for Better Accountability
On a personal note, I’ve followed Lee Zeldin’s career for nearly 15 years. I first worked with him when he was a New York State Senator serving on my then-boss’s Homeland Security Committee (click here to watch the hearing). Even back then, he was sharp, pragmatic, and focused on disaster response and public safety. Watching him move from state senator to congressman to now leading the EPA has been remarkable.
But what’s even more remarkable—and disappointing—is that his visit to Lake Lure wasn’t treated with the significance it deserved in my view.
This should have been an opportunity for local officials to engage the community, highlight recovery progress, and show that disaster response isn’t about party politics—it’s about people. Instead, it feels like partisanship may have played a role in keeping this visit under wraps.
Lake Lure’s leaders should take a hard look at why they failed to announce this visit and ensure that, moving forward, political preferences don’t get in the way of public transparency.
🏛️ All those mentioned are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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