agriculture

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.

COMMENTARY | The Hidden Dangers of Biosolids

by | December 7, 2022
Biosolids are often marketed as "all-natural" but we don’t think about the pollutants that are transferred to produce from the fertilizers ...

COMMENTARY | “Climate Smart” Agriculture Requires Better Environmental Assessments

by | October 2, 2022
USDA should skip playing the markets and allow for greater public input as it develops its climate programs ...

Call to Restore Ban on Farming Risks in Wildlife Refuges

by | March 17, 2021
GM Crops and Neonic Insecticides Incompatible with Refuge Purposes ...

BLOG | The Risks of Paying for Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Sequestration

by | February 17, 2021
As climate programs are revived under the new Administration, the role of greenhouse gas reduction offsets ​in agriculture are under fresh scrutiny ...
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