One of the top Republicans in New York on Tuesday questioned whether climate change was real in light of the state’s long and cold winter, Capital New York reported.
State Sen. John Flanagan (R), who just became the state Senate majority leader after the previous leader stepped aside amid federal corruption charges, made the comments during a radio interview with “The Capitol Pressroom.”
“Based on the winter we just had, you say to yourself, are we really going through climate change,” Flanagan told the radio host.
Flanagan said he couldn’t comment further because he was unfamiliar with the data and would need to consult with his staff, Capital reported. However, he did say climate change legislation should occur at the federal level, the news outlet reported.
“I also think it is probably an opportunity to make some distinctions between levels of responsibility and levels of government,” Flanagan told the host. “Actions that the state of New York would take would certainly be a part of the discussion that we would have, legislatively or otherwise. But I think in large part, an issue of this magnitude, because it affects the entire world, would be more appropriately dealt with at the federal level.”
