U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday said he believes climate change is real and a threat but that the agency he is poised to oversee is just authorized,

Former U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., who has been tapped by Trump to Trump to lead the EPA, declined to commit to rolling back what Trump and other critics of the rules have called an "EV mandate" when asked, acknowledging only that he has heard concerns about regulations put in place by President Joe Biden's administration.

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