Kathleen Hartnett White during her confirmation hearing to be a Member of the Council on Environmental Quality before the United States Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 8, 2017.

(Alex Edelman/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)

At a Glance

A letter from more than 300 scientists was sent to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Tuesday.The scientists opposed Kathleen Harnett White's nomination, saying "one thing more dangerous than climate change is lying."White is an outspoken climate denier and fossil fuel advocate.If confirmed, White would coordinate environmental efforts across all federal agencies.

More than 300 scientists wrote a letter to the U.S. Senate opposing President Donald Trump's pick of Kathleen Hartnett White to head the White House Council on Environmental Quality, but on Wednesday, the committee voted to advance her nomination to the full Senate.

In theirlettersent to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee ,the scientists said they opposed White's nomination "because one thing more dangerous than climate change is lying."

"As scientists and scholars, we are alarmed by Ms. Hartnett White’s actions and statements, particularly, her recent assertion that carbon dioxide is not a harmful pollutant," the scientists wrote.

Despite the scientist's effort, the Senate committee voted along party lines to confirm White's nomination.

White is afellow with the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a group, includingExxon, Chevron and the Koch brothers, and former head of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. She is a vocal opponent against the regulation of carbon dioxide and stunned scientists by calling CO2 "the gas of life." She told the Orlando Sentinel in October 2016 in the Earth's atmosphere, CO2 is a plant food."

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White's nomination now goes before the full Senate for a vote, and if confirmed, shewould become the second-highest ranking official at the Environmental Protection Agency, coordinating environmental efforts across all federal agencies.

In their letter, the scientists pointed out that there is "unanimous agreement across peer-reviewed climate science that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases released by human activities are contributing to the harmful effects of climate change."

"To state otherwise in the face of overwhelming evidence is simply unsupportable," the scientists added. "This is not a partisan issue; it is a matter of defending scientific integrity. Climate change threatens us all, regardless of political affiliation. Confirming Kathleen Hartnett White at the helm of the Council on Environmental Quality would have serious consequences for people and the ecosystems of the only planet that can support us."

Amanda Lynch, a climate scientist at Brown University and head of the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, led the charge in opposing Trump's nomination. She drafted the letter sent to the committee and began collecting signatures from colleagues after she became dismayed hearing Brown's testimony in committee hearings earlier this month.

In an email to weather.com Wednesday, Lynch said the committee'svote to approve White's nomination was a disappointment but not the end of the fight.

"We will continue to oppose the nomination," Lynch said. "It is imperative that the President receive advice that is factual and grounded in scientific evidence."