The Senate confirmed former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin as the next administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in a bipartisan vote, paving the way for the Trump administration’s de-regulatory agenda.

The Republican-controlled Senate on Wednesday confirmed Lee Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, a key role to help President Trump fulfill his pledge to roll back major environmental regulations, including those aimed at slowing climate change and encouraging use of electric vehicles. The vote was 56-42 in Zeldin's favor.

Several Democrats voted in favor of Zeldin, a former lawmaker from New York who will oversee an agency tasked with protecting the environment and public health.