Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility
LightNews LightNews
banner
peer.org
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility
@peer.org
740 followers 27 following 270 posts
PEER supports current and former public employees who seek a higher standard of environmental ethics and scientific integrity within their agencies.
www.peer.org
Posts Replies Media Videos
peer.org
EPA refused a request from PEER and the Free Information Group (FIG) seeking its Final Impact Assessments for its use of high-impact AI tools, along with other information on its use of AI in its chemicals program. PEER and FIG are now appealing that decision.

https://ow.ly/ulro50ZNUz6
Groups Appeal EPA’s Refusal to Release Impact Assessments for High-Impact Artificial Intelligence Tools
PEER and FIG Challenge Secrecy Surrounding EPA’s Growing Use of AI
ow.ly
September 15, 2026 at 2:44 PM
peer.org
EPA is calling its addition of microplastics to the official “Contaminant Candidate List” a "historic action." But here's the problem: not one of the more than 200 chemicals EPA has placed on the list since 1998 are currently regulated.

https://ow.ly/AH9K50ZISqp

#ForeverChemicals #Microplastics
EPA’s “Historic Action” to Curb Microplastics in Drinking Water Meaningless
Microplastics Added to a “Candidate List” With Scant Chance at Regulation
ow.ly
September 3, 2026 at 3:31 PM
peer.org
The FAA is proposing to waive all major environmental protection requirements for commercial space launches and other activities. PEER joined a group of environmental and scientific organizations, represented by Earthjustice, in calling on the FAA to reject this proposal.

https://ow.ly/5tV150ZHN5v
Groups Demand FAA Reject Rule Waiving Environmental Requirements for Commercial Rocket Launches
The proposed rule would undermine 13 environmental laws protecting wildlife, water, and public health
ow.ly
September 1, 2026 at 5:19 PM
peer.org
Opened 49 years ago, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System has already been operating 19 years past its projected life expectancy. Now the Trump administration wants to renew its right-of-way for another 30 years, and the public only has 15 days to comment.

https://ow.ly/nO3m50ZGBCy
Aging Trans-Alaska Pipeline to Get Only Perfunctory Review
30-Year Right-of-Way Renewal Subject to 15-Day Public Comment Period
ow.ly
August 28, 2026 at 3:36 PM
peer.org
In its voluntary guidance, EPA failed to issue numerical limits on how much PFAS sewage sludge used as fertilizer can contain before it's spread on farms, gardens, and lawns. Today, PEER filed formal comments insisting that EPA set enforceable limits.

https://ow.ly/VzS750ZFFzB

#foreverchemicals
PEER To EPA: Withdraw PFAS Biosolids Proposal and Follow the Law
Sewage Sludge Guidance Will Lead to More Harm
ow.ly
August 26, 2026 at 3:10 PM
peer.org
CBP paused border infrastructure work in Big Bend amid bipartisan backlash, but that doesn't explain why billions in taxpayer dollars went to these contracts in the first place. We're calling on DHS to investigate.

https://ow.ly/tli050ZBuho

#BigBend
PEER Seeks Investigation into Billions in Big Bend Border Contracts
DHS Inspector General Asked to Examine Political Influence, Contractor Selection, and Lack of Oversight
ow.ly
August 19, 2026 at 2:51 PM
peer.org
When historians look back at the unraveling of Interior, they'll likely start with the budget and staffing cuts, and Secretary Burgum spending hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars on Trump's vanity projects.

But that's only part of the story.

https://ow.ly/bT5s50ZAZjT

#PublicLands
Doug Burgum's Destruction of the Department of the Interior - PEER.org
Doug Burgum isn't simply shrinking the Department of the Interior, he is actively working to destroy it.
ow.ly
August 18, 2026 at 3:44 PM
peer.org
Congress designated the Old Spanish Trail as part of the National Trails System more than two decades ago. That designation requires the development of a Comprehensive Management Plan to coordinate land use — and the plan is long overdue.

https://ow.ly/RXAT50ZzVgU

#OldSpanishTrail #PublicLands
The Old Spanish Trail Has Waited Long Enough for Protection
Our hope is that the court will reinforce that a National Trail designation carries meaningful responsibilities for the agencies entrusted with managing these lands.
ow.ly
August 14, 2026 at 3:44 PM
peer.org
The FCC's Space Bureau approved a commercial satellite that will reflect sunlight back to Earth at night. PEER and allies filed a formal Application for Review asking the FCC to reverse the decision.

https://ow.ly/MZUA50Zy4vi

#Satellites #SpaceTech
PEER and Allies Push Back on FCC’s Approval of Reflect Orbital’s Plan to Light Up the Night - PEER.org
With the space rush on, we must continue to act to make sure federal agencies consider all the risks and impacts of satellite proposals.
ow.ly
August 10, 2026 at 2:05 PM
peer.org
As corporate cash increasingly shapes our nation’s political system, it is critical that the judiciary stays accountable to the public, not personal financial interests.

peer.org/commentary-e...

#SupremeCourt #CourtReform
Executive Branch Employees Are Bound by an Ethics Code. Why Not the Judiciary?
It is imperative that we act to ensure the judiciary remains accountable to the public and uninfluenced by personal financial interests.
peer.org
August 6, 2026 at 2:17 PM
peer.org
We've filed comments opposing the Office of Personnel Management's proposed rule that would make it easier for agencies to place federal employees who may face layoffs into indefinite paid leave without any way to challenge it.

https://ow.ly/kFcP50ZuiVi
PEER: OPM Rule Creates Back Door Around Federal Workforce Protections
Proposed Rule Would Gut Reduction in Force Protections and Violate the Administrative Leave Act
ow.ly
July 29, 2026 at 2:14 PM
peer.org
💧 A new report by PEER and Waterkeepers Florida finds that the majority of Florida's waterways are failing to meet state water quality standards while enforcement of the state's environmental laws remains far below historical levels.

https://ow.ly/1h4v50ZtPoF

#Florida #WaterPollution
New Report Finds Majority of Florida Waterways Fail Water Quality Standards
State Pollution Enforcement Actions Remain Near Historic Lows as Population Explodes
ow.ly
July 28, 2026 at 2:06 PM
peer.org
A proposed rule from the Office of Management and Budget would dramatically expand political control over how the federal government awards grants — not just for science, but for education, conservation, public health, and disaster relief too.

https://ow.ly/W9TH50Zsla5
The Administration's New Grant Rule Isn't About Science. It's About Power.
The OMB's proposed overhaul of how the federal government awards grants would dramatically expand political control over how taxpayer dollars are distributed.
ow.ly
July 24, 2026 at 2:46 PM
peer.org
We've submitted comments opposing an OPM/MSPB draft rule that is part of an effort to strip protections from federal workers and convert the civil service from a nonpartisan body into one that answers to the political leaders of the moment.

https://ow.ly/52sp50ZrXfM
PEER Comments in Opposition to OPM-MSPB “Promoting Employee Accountability” Rule
Rule is Part of a Broader Effort to “Return Our Government to the Spoils System”
ow.ly
July 23, 2026 at 2:34 PM
peer.org
We've filed comments calling on the Office of Management and Budget to withdraw its proposed overhaul of the federal grantmaking system, warning that the rule would institutionalize political cronyism, destroy American science, and threaten the separation of powers.

https://ow.ly/jSoX50ZmZwU
PEER Warns OMB Grant Proposal Would Institutionalize Corruption and Destroy American Science
Administration Seeks Complete Political Control Over Federal Grant Funds
ow.ly
July 13, 2026 at 6:35 PM
peer.org
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency fired Kip Tyler after he raised the need to monitor for microplastic pollution in the permit for the first aquaculture project in federal waters. PEER is representing Tyler in challenging his dismissal.

https://ow.ly/QJ6h50ZmUe0
EPA’s Dire Fear of Addressing Microplastic Pollution
EPA Engineer Fired after Asking for Microplastic Monitoring in Permit
ow.ly
July 13, 2026 at 4:13 PM
peer.org
Is our legal system ready to grant rights to nature?

Keith Kozloff, a former federal environmental economist, outlines the Rights of Nature movement's history and makes a case for establishing the legal rights of nature in the United States.

https://ow.ly/Jsgx50ZkKOZ

#RightsOfNature
Is Our Legal System Ready to Grant Rights to Nature?
With the natural environment under assault by the current administration, perhaps the time is ripe to consider granting legal rights to nature.
ow.ly
July 10, 2026 at 6:40 PM
peer.org
We are part of a coalition of environmental and scientific organizations, represented by Earthjustice, who today filed a petition asking the FCC to complete a comprehensive environmental review before licensing satellite-based data centers.

https://ow.ly/wb1o50ZlJ5p
Coalition Calls for Rigorous Federal Review of Space-Based Data Center Proposals
As companies make plans to launch more than a million data centers into space, FCC must provide oversight and conduct a thorough review of the risks and impacts of these projects to ensure they are not causing irreparable environmental harm to our planet.
ow.ly
July 8, 2026 at 5:35 PM
peer.org
The conservation success in recovering Pacific gray whales is now at risk due to accelerating mortality from multiple threats, including ship strikes and reduced food sources. As of July 6, 145 gray whale stranding deaths have been reported.

https://ow.ly/R7xh50Zl7jg
Gray Whales Suffering “Catastrophic Mortality Event”
Strandings So Far in 2026 Setting a Deadly Pace
ow.ly
July 7, 2026 at 2:12 PM
peer.org
America's 250th birthday should be a moment that brings us together.

Unfortunately, what should be a nonpartisan celebration has become a growing scandal: secrecy, political favoritism, and the diversion of significant taxpayer funds and resources to Freedom 250.

https://ow.ly/sukL50ZjKPI
July 4, 2026 at 2:25 PM
peer.org
OSC Senior Counsel Charles Baldis allowed the Office of Personnel Management to keep asking federal job applicants to write essays on how they would further President Trump's policies. He has now been nominated to serve as the next Special Counsel.

https://ow.ly/PPaE50ZiHl9
Illegal Trump Loyalty Oaths Disrupt Federal Hiring
Official Who Approved Job Applicant Essays Nominated as Special Counsel
ow.ly
June 30, 2026 at 2:19 PM
peer.org
The number of industrial chemical accidents is increasing — and the Trump admin wants to weaken accident prevention requirements and eliminate the Chemical Safety & Hazard Investigation Board, the only federal agency charged with investigating the cause of these accidents.

https://ow.ly/hRt150ZibPv
Industrial Chemical Accidents Rise Amid Safety Rollbacks
Up More Than 50% Since 2021; Fatalities & Injuries Up 20% in Last Year
ow.ly
June 29, 2026 at 2:08 PM
peer.org
The number of tourist overflights across San Francisco parks will remain unchanged and will not be subject to environmental evaluation, according to a decision in a lawsuit brought by a coalition of groups led by PEER.

https://peer.org/court-declines-to-limit-sf-bay-area-park-overflights/
Court Declines to Limit SF Bay Area Park Overflights
2,700 Flights Across Golden Gate, Pt. Reyes, SF Maritime & Muir Woods
peer.org
June 25, 2026 at 6:58 PM
peer.org
PEER's Executive Director testified before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution about Freedom 250, a partisan, private entity started by Trump to plan America's 250th. Millions of taxpayer dollars have been spent on Freedom 250, without transparency.

https://ow.ly/e47x50ZhhMt
Unraveling the Scandals Surrounding America’s Anniversary Celebration
PEER Executive Director Testifies Before Senate Judiciary Committee on Freedom 250
ow.ly
June 25, 2026 at 5:49 PM
peer.org
Public employees who protect the environment need your support now more than ever.

PEER has their back — providing free legal defense, exposing wrongdoing inside federal agencies, and fighting for environmental protections.

Join the fight. Every dollar you give is matched.
peer.org/doubletrouble
June 23, 2026 at 5:22 PM