Public Lands

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 | Another Roll-Back That the Oil and Gas Industry Hoped You Wouldn’t Notice

by Chandra Rosenthal | September 16, 2020
The Forest Service hopes to pass a new rule making it easier for private companies to drill for oil and gas on U.S. National Forests ...

Beyond 2020: Bureau of Land Management

by Jeff Ruch | September 14, 2020
Conflicted leadership, loss of institutional knowledge, and marginalization of staff have left the Bureau of Land Management less capable than ever ...

Record Green Sea Turtle Nesting on Padre Island  

by Susan Sargent | September 10, 2020
Park Service Cuts Green Turtle Program Just as Need for Protection Spikes ...

Comments on William Perry Pendley’s Unfitness to Lead the BLM

by Susan Sargent | September 9, 2020
Tim Whitehouse, Executive Director of PEER, comments to House Natural Resources Committee Democratic Roundtable on Pendley’s unfitness to lead the Bureau of Land Management ...

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 ...

Beyond 2020: National Park Service

by Jeff Ruch | September 2, 2020
How the Park Service can continue to preserve the country’s natural and historical heritage for current and future generations ...
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