Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell would have none of it when the host of Kentucky Sports Radio pressed him Wednesday for his personal views on global warming.  

“What I have said repeatedly is I’m not a scientist, but what I can tell you is, even if you thought that was important — and there are some scientists who do and some scientists who don’t — but even if you thought that was important, the United States doing this by itself is going to have zero impact,” the Kentucky Republican said.  

“It is not a yes or no question. I am not a scientist,” McConnell said when pressed. “My job is to try and protect jobs in Kentucky now, not speculate about science in the future.”  

The exchange came in the context of McConnell’s efforts to block the EPA from implementing a pair of rules regarding power plants. He repeated familiar complaints about Senate Democrats preventing him and other GOP senators from offering amendments designed to stop the regulations.  

“Now what [President Barack Obama’s] doing is trying to achieve through the EPA what he couldn’t get through Congress. So, make no mistake about it. This is all about Obama-induced coal depression,” McConnell said, before saying that other countries are importing coal.  

“If I’m majority leader next year, I’ll be in charge of the schedule. We will be voting on efforts to push back against the EPA,” McConnell said. “And even for those who think that global carbon emissions are an important thing, one country doing this is going to have zero impact.”  

To become the agenda-setter in the Senate, McConnell would need to prevail in his own contest against Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes in November and see the GOP net at least six seats by the time the votes are counted nationwide.  

Audio of McConnell’s call-in to the Kentucky Sports Radio program is here:  

www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJoSZFAvu90  

Related:

McConnell, Grimes Split on Marijuana Legalization


Grimes Shoots Skeet in New Ad


Grimes Campaign Vehicles Owned By Family Business


McConnell Plots Coal Amendment to Energy Spending Bill


Roll Call Election Map: Race Ratings for Every Seat


Get breaking news alerts and more from Roll Call in your inbox or on your iPhone.