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.

Trump nominates controversial, longtime acting head of land management bureau as director

by Elizabeth Duan | June 26, 2020
“President Trump on Friday nominated William Perry Pendley, who has controversially served as the acting head of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for months, to lead the agency. “Pendley has a long record of opposing the very existence of the public lands he now oversees,” ...

Interior move keeping controversial acting leaders in office faces legal scrutiny

by Elizabeth Duan | June 9, 2020
“A new Interior Department move to leave controversial temporary leaders in place indefinitely may violate laws on filling vacancies, legal experts say, and skirts requirements for Senate confirmation. Watchdog group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility sued in April, ...

Interior sued over temporary appointments of top officials

by Elizabeth Duan | May 11, 2020
“Environmentalists on Monday sued the Interior Department over its temporary appointments of top officials to positions that typically require a Senate confirmation. In a lawsuit filed in federal court in Washington D.C., Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) and ...

OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Oil prices jump amid partial reopenings | Bill aims to block fossil fuel firms from coronavirus aid | Tribes to receive some coronavirus aid after court battle

by Elizabeth Duan | May 5, 2020
“Interior Secretary David Bernhardt on Tuesday extended the tenure of William Perry Pendley to lead the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in an acting capacity until June 5. Last month, the group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) threatened a lawsuit if the ...

Pandemic prevention demands more from our federal government

by Peter Jenkins | May 2, 2020
“The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic came as no surprise to the medical community, academic leaders and most governmental experts.” Read the PEER Story… ...
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