Sens. Bernie Sanders and Adam Schiff questioned EPA administrator nominee Lee Zeldin on climate change and disaster relief.

I believe that climate change is real," Lee Zeldin told senators on the Environment and Public Works Committee. He added that environmental policies should not hamper economic growth.

Mr. Zeldin, a Trump loyalist, would be charged with dismantling climate rules and perhaps the agency itself. He faced questions from the Senate Thursday.

WASHINGTON -- Former Long Island congressman Lee Zeldin denied that he will favor industry over the environment and declared he thinks climate change is real as he faced questions Thursday on his nomination to be the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., asked Lee Zeldin, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for director of the Environmental Protection Agency, if he believed climate change is a hoax like Trump has claimed.

In a notable break from President-elect Donald Trump, EPA nominee Lee Zeldin acknowledged the reality of climate change during his Senate confirmation hearing.

President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to head up the Environmental Protection Agency, Lee Zeldin, emphasized accountability during hours of testimony Thursday.

Donald Trump's nominee to lead the US Environmental Protection Agency acknowledged Thursday that man-made climate change is real in his Senate confirmation hearing.

Long Island environmentalists offered mixed reviews of Lee Zeldin's answers during his Senate confirmation hearing for EPA administrator.