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 Sets Low Bar on Chemical Safety – And Trips Over It

by Tim Whitehouse | March 16, 2022
EPA staff are under pressure, and often retaliated against, to remove chemical hazard information and to keep quiet about it ...

COMMENTARY | EPA Releases PFAS Contamination Information

by Tim Whitehouse | March 10, 2022
After PEER FOIAs and a lawsuit, EPA releases a trove of information on PFAS contamination throughout the United States. Find out more here ...

COMMENTARY | How Maryland’s Renewable Energy Law Hurts Maryland

by Tim Whitehouse | February 25, 2022
In Maryland, "clean renewable energy" may include burning fossil fuels, trash, wood or other waste to produce electricity ...

STATEMENT | Federal Protections Restored to Gray Wolves

by Hudson Kingston | February 11, 2022
A federal judge today reinstated Endangered Species Act protections for the gray wolves but our work to protect these apex predators is far from over ...

COMMENTARY | PEER works with Lawmakers to Fight Conowingo License

by Paula Dinerstein | February 10, 2022
PEER continues to work to compel Exelon Corp., owners of the Conowingo Dam, to clean it up and mitigate the ongoing risk to the Chesapeake Bay ...

COMMENTARY | Scientific Integrity’s Central Conundrum

by Jeff Ruch | February 9, 2022
The issues with Dr. Lander's tenure in the White House are a symptom of a large problem with scientific integrity and research in federal government ...
Phone: 202-265-7337

962 Wayne Avenue, Suite 610
Silver Spring, MD 20910-4453

Copyright 2001–2025 Public Employees for
Environmental Responsibility

PEER is a 501(c)(3) organization
EIN: 93-1102740