NPS

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.

Eroding Sanctuary for Wildlife in National Parks

by Jeff Ruch | May 8, 2026
During Trump’s first term, the National Park Service was an area of malign neglect, without a confirmed director for all four years. For most of Trump 1.0, the national parks were ignored, but no longer ...

PEERMail | Is Congress Coming to Its Senses? No, But Now Is Still the Time to Act

by PEER | April 30, 2026
Congress is finally feeling the heat for its deeply unpopular anti-environmental, anti-wildlife, and anti-government worker policies ...

Letter re: Lafayette Park Project Congressional Oversight

by PEER |
Letter to Congress re: Congressional oversight of a renovation project being led by the National Park Service at Lafayette Park ...