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.

COMMENTARY | U.S. Geological Survey Labs Must Cure Culture of Reprisal

by Jeff Ruch | October 5, 2022
Third party review will help prevent future scientific scandals at the U.S. Geological Survey by providing a safe channel for USGS scientists to report problems without fear of reprisal ...

COMMENTARY | Glacier Skies to Finally Go Quiet

by Paula Dinerstein | September 29, 2022
The path to serenity in the skies above all national parks is no longer subject to the demands of commercial tourism but the work is far from over ...

COMMENTARY | The Worst Kind of Backroom Deal

by Tim Whitehouse | September 12, 2022
It is time to work to stop the Manchin-Schumer side deal to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA ...

STATEMENT | EPA’s PFOA and PFOS Hazardous Substances Designation Under CERCLA Proposal

by Tim Whitehouse | August 26, 2022
Today's actions by the EPA do nothing to stem the tide of future Superfund sites caused by toxic PFAS contamination ...

COMMENTARY | The Inflation Reduction Act Funds Additional Staffing at National Park Service

by Colleen Zimmerman | August 18, 2022
The National Park Service received funding to hire 5,000 more employees over the next ten years as part of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 ...