By Pete Schroeder and Michelle Price WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler defended his agency’s position on cryptocurrencies and its push to include climate risks into public company disclosures before the U.S. Senate Banking Committee on Thursday. Gensler appeared before the panel for its regular oversight duties, but the hearing comes at a time of Republican frustration over his agenda. They claim he has overstepped his authority with a broad assault on U.S. capital markets and adopted a hostile stance toward the financial industry. But in pr…