Head of the EPA can't tell Sen. Jeff Sessions if its climate models are correct

Sen. Jeff Sessions (AL.com file photo)

There was a pretty heated exchange recently between Alabama's Sen. Jeff Sessions and EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy during a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing.

During the hearing, Sessions said he hears a large number of complaints from constituents about the Environmental Protection Agency's "overreach." Sessions then questioned McCarthy on data about droughts, hurricanes and the figures used to show climate change.

On droughts, McCarthy said: "I don't know in what context (a scientist) is making statements like that..."

On hurricanes she said: "I cannot answer that question. It's a very complicated issue."

And on temperature she added: "I do not know what the (temperature) models actually are predicting that you are referring to..."

That last one was a step too far for Session who responded: "This is a stunning development, that the head of the Environmental Protection Agency--who should know more than anybody else in the world, who is imposing hundreds of billions of dollars in cost to prevent this climate temperature increase--doesn't know whether their projections have been right or wrong."

You can watch the full exchange below. The real fireworks start around the 4:40 mark.

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