Peter Jenkins
Senior Counsel

Peter Jenkins

Peter has been an environmental, land use, and consumer attorney and advocate since 1983. He has held various roles in Washington, DC including Of Counsel at the Center for Food Safety; Vice President for U.S. Government Policy at Conservation International; Director of International Conservation at Defenders of Wildlife; and Staff Attorney at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Additionally, he worked as a contracted consultant on endangered species recovery efforts with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Turner Endangered Species Fund in New Mexico. Prior to that, he served as an Attorney and Policy Analyst for the U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment, and was also in private law practice. His career has centered on bringing the best science to bear in environmental protection efforts; he has specialized in working with scientists so their findings can inform good policy, as well as in federal litigation. Most of his work has been in aid of wildlife conservation in the fields of pesticides, genetically modified organisms, invasive species, wildlife disease prevention, international trade, land use conflicts, and other areas. Peter received his law degree from the University of Puget Sound (now Seattle University) School of Law and also has a master’s degree in Environmental Studies from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, with a focus on conservation biology.

Interior Secretary Burgum is Playing with Fire

by Peter Jenkins | May 20, 2026
By all metrics, the upcoming 2026 fire season in the parched West looks like it may be one of the worst ever — with massive, dangerous forest fires. The Southeast has already seen several forest fires, with record numbers in Florida and Georgia. Fire response is more than just fighting ...

The Supreme Court Must Stop the Slide to Authoritarian Rule

by Peter Jenkins | October 7, 2025
The Supreme Court, whose 2025-2026 Term began on October 6, has set the stage for a descent to authoritarian rule in a series of quick rulings that favored President Trump over the last nine months ...

Public Lands Unprotected: The Impact of Department of the Interior Law Enforcement Firings

by Guest Contributor | April 11, 2025
With understaffing of law enforcement officers and rangers already a severe problem, the new wave of terminations is exacerbating under-enforcement into crisis status ...

What to Expect from Trump II – A Preview Based on Trump’s First Term

by Peter Jenkins | January 2, 2025
The first Trump administration took rampant “bad government” steps that we must not forget. In recent weeks, President-elect Trump has already raised new threats to good government norms to a level that is unprecedented and frightening ...

Salmon and Orcas Die in Regulatory Gap – Stormwater Contaminants Poisoning Puget Sound Marine Life

by Peter Jenkins | September 9, 2024
Washington’s Puget Sound is an ecological treasure, yet its native salmonids and other aquatic life are facing increasing peril ...