Trump administration

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.

PEERMail | Meeting the Trump Challenge in the Trenches

by PEER | November 12, 2024
We know these times are tough. But at PEER we don’t shy away from a hard job or an important fight. The stakes are too high ...

STATEMENT | The Election of Donald Trump

by Tim Whitehouse | November 6, 2024
It is clear that we are entering a new era of uncertainty and instability for the nation. Together, we are called to act in these times of challenge and change ...

COMMENTARY | Project 2025: Are We Headed Toward An Extreme Public Lands Agenda?

by Chandra Rosenthal | October 15, 2024
Project 2025, the authoritarian playbook for a future Republican administration, would give the extraction industries nearly unrestricted access to public lands ...

Biden Fails to Safeguard Federal Science from Trump

by PEER | October 8, 2024
Vaunted 3+Year “Scientific Integrity” Initiative Limps Across Finish Line ...

COMMENTARY | Trump’s Enemies List: Dismantling the Civil Service

by Peter Jenkins | July 10, 2024
If elected, Donald Trump will likely pick up where he left off – going after the federal merit system founded more than 140 years ago ...
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