Climate and Energy

Senior Counsel

Jeff serves as Senior Counsel to PEER, where he specializes in civil service, scientific integrity, and whistleblower protection issues. Jeff was PEER’s Executive Director from 1997 to 2019 and its Pacific Director from 2019 to 2025. Previously, he was the Policy Director and a staff attorney at the Government Accountability Project, representing whistleblowers from both the public and private sectors. Before coming to DC, Jeff worked in California state government for 17 years, mostly in the State Legislature as counsel to various committees where he drafted hundreds of laws on topics ranging from energy conservation to the rights of employed inventors. Jeff served stints as a deputy district attorney and an appellate court clerk. He is a graduate of the California Correctional Officers Academy.

Trans-Alaska Pipeline Climate Cluelessness

by Jeff Ruch | March 25, 2024
In its 45 years of operation, TAPS has undergone only two environmental assessments: one in 1972 and the other in 2002 ...

Did You Know? Carbon Capture and Storage is a False Climate Solution

by Tim Whitehouse | March 18, 2024
CCS does not address the GHG emissions, environmental degradation, or public health consequences from the build-out of infrastructure ...

REPORT | Maryland’s Energy Subsidies Are Going Up in Flames

by PEER |
The Reclaim Renewable Energy Act of 2024 would eliminate trash incineration from Maryland’s Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard ...

Webinar | Climate and Environmental Impacts of Agriculture

by PEER | February 7, 2024
Watch this webinar to learn about the extensive impacts of animal agriculture on the environment, climate, and our health ...

EPA Rejects Air-Pollution Permits for Oil, Gas Wells in Colorado

by PEER | February 1, 2024
Win for Clean Air Calls Into Question Effectiveness of Pollution Controls ...