The executive director of the U.S. Global Change Research Program, Dr. Michael Kuperberg, was removed as lead scientist for the National Climate Assessment on Nov. 9 and is expected to be replaced by David Legates, a longtime supporter and advocate for climate change denial groups. The decision came directly from the Trump administration and follows four years of policy decisions that increased environmental degradation and reined in large-scale federal initiatives necessary to adequately address climate change. Nearly 100 environmental and climate change policies have been rolled back under the administration.