Commentary

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.

New Integrity Policies Exhibit Old Problems

by Jeff Ruch | May 2, 2024
Biden directed all federal agencies to strengthen their scientific integrity policies. Three years later, no new policies have been ratified ...

What will BLM’s new Public Lands Rule Mean for Conservation?

by Chandra Rosenthal | April 26, 2024
The DOI's final Public Lands Rule was designed to elevate conservation to equal status with traditional energy development, resource extraction, and grazing. Here's our take on it ...

EPA’s Seresto Decision is Harmful to Your Pet

by Kyla Bennett | April 25, 2024
EPA approved Seresto pet collars to control fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, and other pests. Almost immediately, they started receiving “incident reports” from the manufacturer ...

The Park Service Should Not Be Subsidizing Multi-Billion Telecoms to “Wire” Our National Parks

by Tim Whitehouse | April 15, 2024
Legislation is advancing to require the NPS to provide broadband and cellular access in every park where there is a perceived need for greater coverage ...

PEER Applauds the Biden Administration’s Effort to Protect Civil Service from Politicization

by Tim Whitehouse | April 9, 2024
PEER applauds the Biden administration's rule protecting civil servants should a future administration attempt to strip them of their workplace protections ...

Midpoint of Minnesota DNR’s timber harvest plan means a time to reflect, examine future

by Chandra Rosenthal | April 4, 2024
Despite state laws which mandate that logging must prioritize wildlife needs, harvest quotas have proved to have a life of their own ...