public lands

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.

REPORT | Mismanaging the Mission: Weakening the Agency Responsible for our National Forests

by PEER | September 15, 2025
Under Secretary Rollins and the Trump administration, Forest Service employees’ ability to fulfill the agency’s mission is being compromised ...

Ban on Rushmore and Badlands Air Tours Upheld

by PEER | September 5, 2025
8th Circuit Rejects Operators Bid to Resume Noisy Tourist Overflights ...

COMMENTARY | Redefining the US Forest Service Mission

by Guest Contributor | August 27, 2025
An anonymous US Forest Service employee shares their concerns about the recent direction for implementing EO 14225 “Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production ...

Nevada in Drought, BLM Silent

by PEER | August 19, 2025
Advocates Request Land Managers Activate Drought Protections as Extreme Conditions Grip Rangelands ...

COMMENTARY | Dumbing Down America’s Best Idea: National Parks in Free Fall

by Jeff Ruch | August 16, 2025
Even as the National Park Service sets new all-time visitation records, no one could claim our national parks are basking in a golden age ...
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