Kathleen Hartnett White, President Trump's White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair nominee, has withdrawn her name from consideration from the post, according to a statement from the White House on Sunday, February 4th.

Back in November, Hartnett White's potential appointment was the subject of a letter to the Senate written by more than 300 scientists from across the country and organized by IBES Director Amanda Lynch. Together, the authors, all members of the Union of Concerned Scientists, voiced their strong opposition to her nomination, questioning whether Hartnett White was intentionally misrepresenting climate science. The letter, which was published in a Politico full-page ad, stated that she was not fit to serve as the president's chief advisor on energy and environmental policies.

Lynch said that she decided to organize the letter after Hartnett White's testimony: "Hearing a candidate for public office question whether warm water expands was the final straw."