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.

BLOG | Social Distancing to Curb COVID-19 and Park Overcrowding

by Jeff Ruch | February 1, 2021
Biden Executive Order on COVID-19 protocols on federal property puts the National Park Service under a direct presidential order to do something it's resisted for years - manage overcrowding ...

Tongass Timber Sales Mismanaged – Official Audit 

by PEER |
“Pressure to Meet Timber Sale Goals” Led to Violations and Financial Losses ...

Statement | Biden Administration’s New Direction on Climate

by Tim Whitehouse | January 28, 2021
Biden's executive orders are the first steps to a rapid transition from fossil fuels and increased protections for our communities, public lands and oceans ...

Beyond 2020: Bureau of Land Management Video

by PEER | January 22, 2021
Steps that the Biden Administration, Congress and the Bureau of Land Management can take to move the agency into the next decade and beyond ...

Beyond 2020: National Park Service Video

by PEER | January 20, 2021
PEER Executive Director Tim Whitehouse on restoring the status of our national parks as "America's best idea ...

Arctic Refuge Becoming Oil & Gas White Elephant 

by PEER | December 28, 2020
Desperate Last-Minute Government Maneuvers Denote Industry Disinterest ...