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.

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 ...

The Scandal Around America’s Birthday – My Senate Testimony

by Tim Whitehouse | July 2, 2026
What should be a nonpartisan celebration has become a growing scandal involving secrecy, political favoritism, and the diversion of significant taxpayer funds and resources to a private entity ...

Government Chaos Demands a Congressional Oversight Agenda

by Tim Whitehouse | June 12, 2026
With national elections just around the corner, PEER is stepping up its efforts to engage in congressional oversight activities ...

Interior Secretary Burgum is Playing with Fire

by Peter Jenkins | May 20, 2026
By all metrics, the upcoming 2026 fire season in the parched West looks like it may be one of the worst ever — with massive, dangerous forest fires. The Southeast has already seen several forest fires, with record numbers in Florida and Georgia. Fire response is more than just fighting ...

The Endangered Species Act and the Importance of Federal Action

by Tim Whitehouse | May 15, 2026
National Endangered Species Day reminds us what’s at stake. But this year, the reminder arrives with added urgency: the systems designed to protect these animals — and thousands like them — are being systematically dismantled ...