Sen. John Curtis, a Republican from Utah, praised Zeldin's nomination, saying he helped get Republicans talking about climate change when he was in the U.S. House of Representatives.

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.

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.

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, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Former New York Republican Congressman and Republican nominee for governor Lee Zeldin testified at his Senate confirmation hearing Thursday. President-elect Trump has nominated Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. In his opening remarks, Zeldin expressed a commitment to protecting the economy and leaving the world a better place.

President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet nominees Scott Bessent, Doug Burgum, Lee Zeldin and Scott Turner will sit for Senate confirmation hearings Thursday.

Lee Zeldin said Americans deserve a clean environment “without suffocating the economy” during his Senate confirmation hearing Thursday to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, a department likely to play a central role in President-elect Donald Trump’s pledge to slash federal regulations and promote oil and gas development.

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

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is questioning the nominee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, Lee Zeldin, in a confirmation hearing Thursday.