FOIA

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.

BLOG | The Dumpster Fire Presidency in Review

by Peter Jenkins | January 19, 2021
The Trump Administration went out of its way to violate “good government” laws and norms. Here's a list of their worst "Dirty Dozen" abuses ...

PEER Fights D.C.’s Attempt to Neuter FOIA

by PEER | May 13, 2019
Letter Protests the District’s Bad Process for Bad Legislation ...

Interior to Deny More FOIA Requests – Especially from Media

by PEER | December 31, 2018
Proposed Rules Facilitate Request, Fee Waiver, and Expedited Processing Rejections ...

Lawsuit on Why Employee Rating of Trump Appointees Ended

by PEER | November 26, 2018
2018 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey Altered to Restrict “Leadership” Definition ...

Suit to Penetrate Political Screening of Interior Grants

by PEER | November 19, 2018
Inspector General Decries “Weak or Non-Existent Controls” on Grants and Aid ...