State Senate plans climate change hearings

ALBANY - The state Senate will hold three hearings on climate change next month, marking a significant shift for the chamber, which had generally avoided the issue under Republican control.The first hearing is scheduled for Feb. 12 at 1 p.m. in the Capitol, and will be led by Sen. Todd Kaminsky, a Long Island Democrat, who chairs the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee and sponsors legislation creating the Climate & Community Protection Act.