Public Lands

Of Counsel

Jeff serves as Of 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.

Decades of Overgrazing Compromise 30 x 30 Goal 

by Susan Sargent | July 21, 2021
40 Million Acres Fail Minimum Federal Standards for Rangeland Health ...

Park Service Pedals Backward on E-Bikes

by Susan Sargent | July 1, 2021
In the Midst of Lawsuit, Trump-Era Order is Rescinded ...

PEERMail | Plastic Free Parks Are Possible!

by Tim Whitehouse | June 30, 2021
The National Park Service must act quickly to address the crisis of plastics in our parks, Sec. Haaland has an opportunity to make a difference ...

PETITION | Plastic Free Parks

by Susan Sargent | June 23, 2021
Petition to Sec of Interior to outlaw sales of plastic water bottles in national parks, setting a green example and decreasing plastic waste in parks by 75 ...

National Parks Should Go Plastic Free  

Rulemaking Petition Presses Park Service to Ban Plastic Water Bottle Sales ...

COMMENTARY | Beefalo Befuddlement in Grand Canyon

by Jeff Ruch | May 17, 2021
Grand Canyon's plan to "lethally remove" 12 beefalo from its herd is fraught with ambiguity and lacking in scientific rationale ...
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