grazing

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.

Ruination of Public Lands: All Uses, Everywhere, All the Time, Without Limit

by Jeff Ruch | July 8, 2026
Donald Trump will certainly not go down in history as the Conservation President. At the current rate, his legacy will be as our first Despoiler-in-Chief ...

Trump Grazing Policy: Leave No Cow Behind

by PEER | April 14, 2026
Mandate of “No Net Loss” of Commercial Livestock on Public Range ...

As Rangeland Health Declines, BLM Stops Monitoring

by PEER | March 26, 2026
Science-Based Land Management Falls Victim to Trump Budget Cuts ...

Letter re: S. 2787 “Grasslands Grazing Act of 2025”

by PEER | March 4, 2026
Letter to Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committees opposing S. 2787, the “Grasslands Grazing Act of 2025 ...

REPORT | Grazing Without Accountability

by PEER | January 28, 2026
This report examines the administrative loophole that allows the U.S. Forest Service and BLM to routinely reauthorize livestock grazing permits without conducting environmental review. It explores the risks to rangelands when permits are renewed without proper analysis and provides an ...