Good Governance

Senior Counsel

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.

COMMENTARY | Trump and the IGs – From Watchdogs to Lapdogs

by Jeff Ruch | March 25, 2025
The role of the Inspector General requires political independence to function properly. That independence is now irretrievably lost ...

Musk Taking Over NOAA Functions

by PEER | March 5, 2025
NOAA Offices Important to Musk Corporate Interests under DOGE Siege ...

COMMENTARY | Administration of “Alternative Facts” – No Fact Checkers Welcome

by Jeff Ruch | February 13, 2025
It is often said that everyone is entitled to their own opinion but not to their own set of facts. That cannot be said of Donald Trump ...

NOAA Must Show Musk the Door

by PEER | February 10, 2025
Acting Commerce Secretary Asked to Reveal Extent of Musk-led Data Breach ...

EPA’s Zeldin Must Reveal Musk Ties

by PEER | February 5, 2025
PEER calls on Zeldin to Protect Confidential Data ...

COMMENTARY | 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 ...
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