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.

WASHINGTON — Former Long Island congressman Lee Zeldin moved a step closer to confirmation as the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency after a Senate committee voted Thursday to recommend that the full Senate approve his nomination.

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.”

Former Rep. Lee Zeldin, Donald Trump's pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, will appear before the Senate Environment Committee on Thursday morning around 10:00 a.m. Zeldin, an Army Reserve officer,

Environment and Public Works Chair Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), who saw her panel advance Lee Zeldin to lead EPA, said of floor timing: “I think we can get a full Senate vote sometime next week.”

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.

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.

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

Lee Zeldin is that advocate. During his tenure in state and federal ... Having had the opportunity to serve with Zeldin in the New York state Senate, I have seen firsthand his incomparable integrity, exceptional work ethic, ability to deliver results ...

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)

Top political appointees are already at the E.P.A. preparing to erase the agency’s climate rules and pollution controls. Many of them have tried it before.