Tim Kaine, Corey Stewart square off about environmental policy in Vienna

VIENNA, Va. (ABC7) — U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine and his Republican opponent, Prince William County Board of Supervisors chairman Corey Stewart, talked environmental policy Tuesday night at the Virginia Climate Crisis Forum sponsored by the Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions.

Kaine called out Stewart and President Donald Trump, saying both downplay the role that humans play in climate change.

“Our president and my opponent says that man-made climate change in a hoax. They both use that word," Kaine said. "So before we get into solutions, obviously understanding differences in basic science really sets the stage."

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Forum topics included ways to decrease fossil fuel usage, transitioning to wind and solar power and concerns about rising sea levels.

Stewart focused on over-regulation saying it costs jobs, increases energy costs, and has little or no positive impact on cleaning up the planet. At the end of the forum, he was asked to clarify his position on climate change.

“The question is whether the earth’s climate is changing?" Stewart said. "Yes, absolutely it’s changing. I don’t believe that man is the primary cause and I don’t believe that man can change that."