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.

PEER Testifies Before Colorado Oil and Gas Commission

by Kyla Bennett | September 4, 2020
Kyla Bennett testified in front of the Colorado Oil and Gas Commission to require a robust analysis of the impacts of oil and gas development ...

BLOG | BLM Needs a Future Far Brighter Than Its Past 

by Jeff Ruch | August 26, 2020
Under the Trump administration, BLM has declined even further than in previous decades. We hope for a brighter future for BLM, which is so needed ...

BLOG | EPA’s Latest Toxic PFAS Whitewash Revealed

by Tim Whitehouse | August 25, 2020
EPA delayed and continues to delay release of its interactive PFAS map, which shows local sources of PFAS, forever chemicals linked to cancer ...

Op-Ed | Public Lands Are Key to Fighting Climate Change

by Tim Whitehouse | August 17, 2020
A new administration must stop address climate change, stop the fossil fuel madness and rapidly work to heal our degraded public lands ...

BLOG | What is the EPA Hiding?

by Kevin Bell |
The EPA is crippling the Environmental Appeals Board, disempowering communities and enabling polluters ...

BLOG | Trump’s Temporary Insanity

by Jeff Ruch | August 12, 2020
Trump's latest attempt to avoid the Senate’s confirmation process is Lanny Erdos of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement ...
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