Public Health

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 | Redeeming Santa Susana: Micro-Steps Up a Mountain

by Jeff Ruch | November 6, 2023
The communities around Santa Susana will continue to suffer while Boeing shirks responsibility and leaves a toxic legacy ...

Lawsuit Probes Oak Ridge Clean Water Waiver

by PEER | October 19, 2023
What Did EPA Administrator Regan Know When He Overruled His Experts ...

Evi Emmenegger: Blowing the Whistle on Biosafety

by PEER | October 17, 2023
After 28 years of excellent job performance, Evi Emmenegger was targeted and fired by USGS management for raising a series of biosafety concerns ...

COMMENTARY | Artificial Turf Spreads Like Weeds on Long Island

Despite known environmental harms, towns and businesses continue to install artificial turf fields at alarming rates ...

PFAS at Santa Susana Seep Through Regulatory Cracks

by PEER | September 18, 2023
Toxic Forever Chemicals Not Monitored in Discharge or Included in Cleanup ...

Op-Ed | San Francisco’s Sewage Agency Also Needs Some Treatment

by Jeff Ruch | August 31, 2023
San Francisco taxpayers and ratepayers are footing the bill in the fight against tougher sewage controls on its oceanside outlets since 2019 ...
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