Trump withdraws nomination of controversial attorney for top environment post

William Perry Pendley, who was nominated to lead the Bureau of Land Management, has claimed climate change doesn't exist

In a rare acknowledgement of defeat, Donald Trump has withdrawn his nomination of a highly controversial figure for a top environment post.

William Perry Pendley is a conservative attorney and longtime opponent of public lands and wildlife protections who had been put forward to lead the Bureau of Land Management. It oversees 240m acres of public land and is charged with managing fossil fuel and mineral development while protecting conserved lands and endangered species.