Commentary

Executive Director

Tim is PEER’s Executive Director, with more than 30 years of experience working on environmental issues with governments, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and community groups. Prior to joining PEER, he was a senior attorney at the United States Environmental Protection Agency and was head of the Law and Policy Program at the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation in Montreal, Canada. He has worked as a consultant for companies on environmental compliance issues, and with nonprofit organizations focusing on clean energy issues. Most recently, he was executive director of Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility, a health advocacy group working to address climate change, toxics pollution, and nuclear disarmament issues. Tim’s interest is in the intersection of science, policy, and civil service. He believes in protecting employees who raise concerns about their workplace and in exposing undue influence on government for private gain. He holds a JD and BA from Emory University and an MA from New York University.

PEER and Allies Push Back on FCC’s Approval of Reflect Orbital’s Plan to Light Up the Night

by Tim Whitehouse | August 10, 2026
With the space rush on, we must continue to act to make sure federal agencies consider all the risks and impacts of satellite proposals as part of the approval process ...

Executive Branch Employees Are Bound by an Ethics Code. Why Not the Judiciary?

by Ben Glick | August 6, 2026
It is imperative that we act to ensure the judiciary remains accountable to the public and uninfluenced by personal financial interests ...

The Administration’s New Grant Rule Isn’t About Science. It’s About Power.

by Christine Schulman | July 24, 2026
The OMB's proposed overhaul of how the federal government awards grants would dramatically expand political control over how taxpayer dollars are distributed ...

Public lands need public voices; comment now on new BLM rules

by Lilley Gallagher | July 9, 2026
Public lands belong to all of us — we should all have a say in how they’re managed. Yet, a proposed rule from the Bureau of Land Management threatens to strip the public out of public land decisions, prioritizing business considerations over the health of western rangelands ...

Ruination of Public Lands: All Uses, Everywhere, All the Time, Without Limit

by Jeff Ruch | July 8, 2026
Donald Trump will certainly not go down in history as the Conservation President. At the current rate, his legacy will be as our first Despoiler-in-Chief ...

Is Our Legal System Ready to Grant Rights to Nature?

by Guest Contributor | July 6, 2026
With the natural environment under assault by the current administration, perhaps the time is ripe to consider granting legal rights to nature ...