USDA

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 | Letter to the EPA: Take Action on “Devil’s Bargain” Pesticides

by Peter Jenkins | March 27, 2023
The environment needs protection from neonic-coated seeds, which are by far the broadest pesticide/insecticide application across the country ...

Letter to BLM, USDA – Scope of environmental review for Federal Lands, Minnesota

by PEER | January 19, 2022
DESCRIPTION: PEER submitted a letter covering past USFS employee critical feedback, treaty rights impacting NEPA scope, and economic issues related to a USFS and BLM proposal to remove a large amount of BLM-controlled mineral resources under the Superior National Forest from leasing for ...

BLOG | Research Suppression at USDA and Stagnation of Agricultural Science

by Guest Contributor | February 11, 2021
Jonathan Lundgren was a top-rated USDA research scientist until he started revealing the environmental harms of the neonicotinoid insecticides and other favorite products of the pesticide industry ...

BLOG | Vilsack Pick Fails Scientific Integrity Test

by Jeff Ruch | February 3, 2021
Biden’s nominee for USDA Secretary, Tom Vilsack, had a dubious record on scientific integrity and ties to agri-business during his previous stint at USDA ...