Story highlights The freeze includes more than 100 scientist positions

140 internal job changes not be finalized before the freeze went into place

Washington (CNN) The Trump administration's hiring freeze meant more than 350 positions at the Environmental Protection Agency were left unfilled, newly released agency documents show, including more than 100 scientists in specialties like environmental science, life science, and physical science.

The documents released through a Freedom of Information Act request by the Sierra Club and reviewed by CNN also show the hiring freeze affected an additional 140 people internally chosen for jobs or, in some cases, offered jobs but could not be finalized before the freeze went into place.

President Donald Trump's executive order meant that no vacant positions existing at noon on January 22, 2017, could be filled and no new positions could be created, except in limited circumstances. The administration said the freeze would remain in place until a plan was in place to reduce the federal workforce nationwide "through attrition."

The scientific positions left unfilled were particularly troubling for Sierra Club Global Climate Policy Director John Coequyt.

"That's about one-third of the total number of positions hiring was frozen for, so we are seeing high skilled people being held up from working at the agency," Coequyt said.

Read More