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 New York Rep. Lee Zeldin, President-elect Donald Trump‘s nominee to be the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, enjoyed a fairly easy confirmation hearing Thursday. Zeldin, in testimony before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee,

Senate Committee hearing on the nomination of Lee Zeldin to be 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.”

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.

Maryland’s freshman senator was in the spotlight Thursday as she had a chance to question some of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees.

The Vermont senator took a dig at President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Former Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., President-elect Donald Trump's pick to head the Environmental Protection Agency, appears before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Capitol Hill. You might know them from: He's a former Republican congressman from New York's Long Island area.

Lee Zeldin referenced a "video of a political appointee at the EPA talking about 'tossing gold bars' to distribute billions of dollars before Inauguration Day."

Nominee Lee Zeldin highlighted his plan to balance environmental and economic concerns and said working on PFAS passive receiver issues would be on his to-do list if he is confirmed.

Throughout the hearing, Lee Zeldin underscored the importance of protecting the environment without hindering economic development. He stated, "We can, and we must, protect our precious environment without suffocating the economy.