Commentary

Of Counsel

Jeff serves as Of 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.

COMMENTARY | EPA Asks for Comment on PFAS Data It Won’t Release

by Kyla Bennett | February 20, 2023
EPA is asking the public to comment on fluorination of plastics but keeping important materials, including health studies, confidential ...

COMMENTARY | How the FCC Fails to Follow Environmental Laws and Fails the Public

Given the FCC’s lack of oversight and failure to comply with environmental laws, numerous environmental harms occur under the agency’s watch ...

Op-Ed | Herding Cats: Biden’s Myopic Approach to Scientific Integrity

by Jeff Ruch | February 16, 2023
The president has made it clear he believes scientific integrity is an important value. Now he must show it more forcefully ...

COMMENTARY | Conowingo: A Better Deal Coming for the Chesapeake Bay

by Paula Dinerstein | February 6, 2023
In a major victory for waterman and environmental groups, courts have vacated the licensing for Maryland's Conowingo Dam ...

COMMENTARY | Minnesota Agency Reverses Course on Illegal Permit

by Hudson Kingston | January 27, 2023
One Minnesota agency corrected its misstep and retracted a bad permit but time will tell if the others follow suit ...

COMMENTARY | PEER at Age 30 – Some Perspective

by Jeff Ruch | January 17, 2023
PEER is based on the somewhat novel idea that public servants can also be activists to advance their agencies’ mission when they fell short ...
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