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 | 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 ...

Op-Ed | Why KC Becker holds the key to Front Range air quality

by Chandra Rosenthal | February 8, 2022
Colorado has been badly out of compliance with National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for a decade now. It's getting worse, not better ...

COMMENTARY | Climate Integrity Project Targets False Solutions

PEER is launching a Climate Integrity Project to address bogus offsets, keeping clean energy clean and strengthening transparency in climate programs ...

COMMENTARY | Startling New EPA Data on PFAS Waste Disposal

by Tim Whitehouse | January 26, 2022
Recently obtained data from EPA documents what is likely only a small fraction of the generation and disposal of PFAS waste across the country ...

COMMENTARY | Being Bold on National Park Staffing

by Hudson Kingston | January 20, 2022
The National Park Service is suffering from a staffing crisis, bold action is needed to address climate, conservation and maintenance goals ...

COMMENTARY | Conservation and Climate Action Require a Better Bureau of Land Management

by Hudson Kingston | December 23, 2021
Without changing its own culture, Bureau of Land Management will be unable to achieve the Biden Administration's conservation and climate goals ...