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.

I believe that climate change is real,” Zeldin said, adding that he would work to “ensure we are protecting our environment, while also protecting our economy.”

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

Sheldon Whitehouse, Senate Environment and Public ... leading Markey to suggest present-day Lee Zeldin doesn’t agree with 2016 Lee Zeldin. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., brought up constituents ...

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

Former Long Island congressman Lee Zeldin will face tough questions from Democrats about his fitness to be the EPA administrator at a Senate hearing Thursday, but he appears to be on a path to confirmation.

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

Lee Zeldin, Donald Trump’s nominee to head the Environmental Protection Agency, struggled to answer simple questions about science during his confirmation hearing Thursday. During his hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee,

Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency struggled to answer straightforward questions about science. At his confirmation hearing on Thursday, former Rep. Lee Zeldin faced scrutiny of his limited environmental experience.

Zeldin will appear Thursday before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works for his confirmation hearing to be the next administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

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NEW YORK-- Ex-New York congressman Lee Zeldin got mixed reviews from ... Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse asked. "Senator, while I am someone who believes strongly that we should work with ...