NOAA

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.

Letter to Acting Commerce Secretary Jeremy Pelter – Musk access to NOAA databases

by | February 10, 2025
Letter to U.S. Department of Commerce Acting Secretary Jeremy Pelter regarding Musk access to NOAA databases ...

NOAA Must Show Musk the Door

by |
Acting Commerce Secretary Asked to Reveal Extent of Musk-led Data Breach ...

COMMENTARY | Anonymous Activism and Whistleblowing in the Age of Trump

by | January 24, 2025
PEER anticipates a flood of requests for our legal services during Trump 2.0. Here's an overview of our approach to anonymous activism and whistleblowing ...

COMMENTARY | Science Integrity at NOAA: Run Silent, Run Deep

by | June 27, 2024
Most agencies sent their draft scientific integrity policies out for public comment, but not the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration ...

COMMENTARY | Countdown for PEER’s Regulatory Petitions

by | May 9, 2024
Read the latest updates on eleven of the regulatory petitions we've worked on this year. With an election just around the corner, now is the time to ramp up action to get our requests granted, especially in case there is a new administration in 2025 ...
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