The Hill

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.

Justice Department lawyers acknowledge presidential transition in court filing

by Elizabeth Duan | January 4, 2021
“The Justice Department has acknowledged that a new administration will take office later this month in a recent court filing despite President Trump’s refusal to concede the election and the pressure on staff and officials to not acknowledge his defeat. Department lawyers argued ...

Park Service needs a new conservationist leader

by Jeff Ruch | November 16, 2020
“Today, four years into its second century, the National Park Service is stumbling forward into a new era, without a plan, a leader or, most importantly, a vision for how to both protect and enhance what is often called America’s best idea. The agency has just received one of the ...

Emails show Park Police reliance on pepper balls, outside police forces during Lafayette protests

by Elizabeth Duan | November 6, 2020
“U.S. Park Police email traffic during the June protests at Lafayette Square shows that agency officials were unaware which law enforcement agencies were assisting with the heavily criticized government response as demonstrators were overwhelmed by chemical irritants. The heavily ...

Op-Ed: Science protections must be enforceable

by Jeff Ruch | September 6, 2020
“Recognizing that things have gotten so out of hand, Congress must enact new, strong enforcement mechanisms to free us from the grip of “alternative facts.” Failure to do so will mean we did not learn the hard lesson of the Trump experience and we have left the door open for it ...

Pence’s use of Fort McHenry threatens Park Service employees

by Peter Jenkins | August 26, 2020
“Using the Park Service for a blatantly political speech, such as accepting a nomination for a political role, presents a major hazard of violating the Hatch Act, which forbids any federal employee other than the president or vice president from engaging in political activity at ...
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