Commentary

Senior Counsel

Peter has been an environmental, land use, and consumer attorney and advocate since 1983. He has held various roles in Washington, DC including Of Counsel at the Center for Food Safety; Vice President for U.S. Government Policy at Conservation International; Director of International Conservation at Defenders of Wildlife; and Staff Attorney at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Additionally, he worked as a contracted consultant on endangered species recovery efforts with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Turner Endangered Species Fund in New Mexico. Prior to that, he served as an Attorney and Policy Analyst for the U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment, and was also in private law practice. His career has centered on bringing the best science to bear in environmental protection efforts; he has specialized in working with scientists so their findings can inform good policy, as well as in federal litigation. Most of his work has been in aid of wildlife conservation in the fields of pesticides, genetically modified organisms, invasive species, wildlife disease prevention, international trade, land use conflicts, and other areas. Peter received his law degree from the University of Puget Sound (now Seattle University) School of Law and also has a master’s degree in Environmental Studies from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, with a focus on conservation biology.

What to Expect from Trump II – A Preview Based on Trump’s First Term

by Peter Jenkins | January 2, 2025
The first Trump administration took rampant “bad government” steps that we must not forget. In recent weeks, President-elect Trump has already raised new threats to good government norms to a level that is unprecedented and frightening ...

Biden’s missed chance to safeguard America’s oceans

by Guest Contributor | December 28, 2024
Among President Biden’s many laudable environmental accomplishments, one of his historic failures is that he declined to protect America’s ocean ecosystems ...

COMMENTARY | The Federal Workforce Isn’t So Bloated

by Tim Whitehouse | December 6, 2024
In a climate where the size of government can trigger political outrage, it is essential to note that many agencies PEER works with are well-liked by the public and do important work with fewer resources ...

Musk and Ramaswamy: The Smartest Most Clueless Guys in the Room

by Jeff Ruch | November 23, 2024
An op-ed by the co-directors of the non-existent Department of Government Efficiency stands out for its sweeping scope and sheer cluelessness ...

PFAS Endangering Our Food Supply

by Laura Dumais | November 4, 2024
PEER is engaged in several efforts to prevent toxic PFAS from contaminating our food chain. Unfortunately, EPA is being more of a hindrance than a help ...

Perils of Public Service: Oklahoma City Bombing Omens Gathering Again

by Jeff Ruch | October 29, 2024
As in the mid-90s, anti-government sentiments are running rampant. But today, these paranoid fantasies are fed by ever-growing doses of misinformation pumped into ever-present social media ...