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.

BLOG | BLM Needs a Future Far Brighter Than Its Past 

by Jeff Ruch | August 26, 2020
Under the Trump administration, BLM has declined even further than in previous decades. We hope for a brighter future for BLM, which is so needed ...

Suit to Trace Path from Rebel to Uber-Bureaucrat

by PEER | November 6, 2019
BLM Must Disclose Circumstances Behind Putting William Pendley in Director’s Chair ...

Evaporating National Park Staff Levels

by PEER | November 5, 2019
Overall Workforce Has Shrunken by More Than a Sixth Since 2011 ...