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.

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 ...

PEERMail | Looking Ahead to Four More Years

by | January 23, 2025
We will continue our agenda of advancing efforts to protect the civil service and the environment and defending against attempts to weaken protections ...

COMMENTARY | Three Things You May Have Missed About Project 2025

by | January 22, 2025
With the election behind him, Trump is now embracing the people and ideas behind Project 2025, a conservative plan to radically remake the federal government ...

COMMENTARY | What to Expect from Trump II – A Preview Based on Trump’s First Term

by | January 2, 2025
The first Trump administration took rampant “bad government” steps that we must not forget. In recent weeks, President-elect Trump has already raised new threats to good government norms to a level that is unprecedented and frightening ...
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