Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility
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Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility
@peer.org
540 followers 26 following 180 posts
PEER supports current and former public employees who seek a higher standard of environmental ethics and scientific integrity within their agencies.
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Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility @peer.org · 3d
🗓️ Webinar | Thurs, 1/29 | 2pm ET

Join us to examine the increasingly complex legal, political, and social landscape impacting federal employees’ free speech rights—and why freedom of speech in government is critical to protecting the environment.

https://ow.ly/1L9m50XX0W3

#FreeSpeech
You are invited to join a webinar: Public Employees, Free Speech and the Rise of Authoritarianism: Why it Matters for the Environment. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.
Over the past several decades, the federal government has increasingly sought to restrict government employees’ free speech rights and to close pathways through which they can express dissent and safely report wrongdoing. This trend has accelerated under the Trump administration, which is engaging in an unprecedented attack on federal workers’ free speech rights and aggressively targeting employees perceived as disloyal. This webinar provides a timely examination of the increasingly complex legal, political, and social landscape impacting federal employees’ free speech rights, both when...
ow.ly
peer.org
Today, PEER sent a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum demanding transparency about Freedom250, a separate entity that reportedly received taxpayer funds appropriated by Congress for the America250 commemoration program.

https://ow.ly/LqfR50XXlKE

#Freedom250
PEER Demands Accounting from Interior Department Over “Freedom250” Use of Taxpayer Funds
Diversion of Funds Raises Serious Questions
ow.ly
January 15, 2026 at 5:00 PM
peer.org
🗓️ Webinar | Thurs, 1/29 | 2pm ET

Join us to examine the increasingly complex legal, political, and social landscape impacting federal employees’ free speech rights—and why freedom of speech in government is critical to protecting the environment.

https://ow.ly/1L9m50XX0W3

#FreeSpeech
You are invited to join a webinar: Public Employees, Free Speech and the Rise of Authoritarianism: Why it Matters for the Environment. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.
Over the past several decades, the federal government has increasingly sought to restrict government employees’ free speech rights and to close pathways through which they can express dissent and safely report wrongdoing. This trend has accelerated under the Trump administration, which is engaging in an unprecedented attack on federal workers’ free speech rights and aggressively targeting employees perceived as disloyal. This webinar provides a timely examination of the increasingly complex legal, political, and social landscape impacting federal employees’ free speech rights, both when...
ow.ly
January 14, 2026 at 10:55 PM
peer.org
“Ironically, this outrageous waste of human capital – when key federal agencies such as the National Park Service were horribly understaffed – was done in the name of government efficiency,” said PEER Senior Counsel Peter Jenkins.
us.theguardian.com Guardian US @us.theguardian.com · 8d
Analysis estimates Trump administration ‘wasted’ billions to compensate over 154,000 federal employees on leave
Doge cuts cost US taxpayers $10bn to cover workers’ paid leave, analysis finds
www.theguardian.com
January 12, 2026 at 7:46 PM
peer.org
Good news! A federal district court judge has rejected a government effort to dismiss PEER's free speech lawsuit defending a federal employee who was threatened and disciplined for engaging in environmental advocacy on her personal time.

https://ow.ly/Nuhy50XVA9v
Federal Employee First Amendment Lawsuit Advances
Right of Federal Workers to Engage in Off-Duty Activism at Stake
ow.ly
January 12, 2026 at 3:34 PM
peer.org
PEER has filed a series of FOIA requests to clarify what information the Department of the Interior relied on to justify its decision to halt five large offshore wind projects.

https://ow.ly/LcO550XSxS0

#RenewableEnergy
PEER Opens Investigation Seeking Records Behind Interior Department’s Offshore Wind Halt
Investigation Follows Earlier Analysis Raising Questions About Legality of Decision
ow.ly
January 6, 2026 at 4:50 PM
peer.org
Happy New Year! We’re grateful for your support throughout 2025. It was a year of immense challenges for public employees and environmental protections, but also a reminder of why this work matters.

As we head into 2026, we remain committed to defending those who put the public interest first.
January 1, 2026 at 6:10 PM
peer.org
Today, PEER sent a letter to Congress warning that the Department of the Interior’s abrupt halt of offshore wind projects already under construction is not legally defensible and raises serious conflict of interest concerns.

https://ow.ly/eqXk50XQ2Qv
Burgum’s Offshore Wind Halt of Questionable Legality
Interior Department Riddled with Conflicts of Interest and Ethical Challenges
ow.ly
December 29, 2025 at 4:07 PM
peer.org
The FCC, which oversees wireless, satellite, cable, radio, and TV infrastructure, is moving to weaken environmental protections.

As wireless technologies rapidly expand—and presumably soon with even less environmental review—the environmental impacts will only multiply.

https://ow.ly/fM8E50XNpTl
COMMENTARY | Evisceration of the Federal Communications Commission NEPA
The FCC is on the verge of promulgating NEPA rules that would further weaken its already skeletal NEPA rules and further exempt itself from NEPA obligations.
ow.ly
December 23, 2025 at 6:35 PM
peer.org
As Congress heads into recess, it quietly gave the oil industry a multimillion-dollar break. The 9¢-per-barrel tax that funds the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund—the nation’s central financial instrument for oil spill prevention and response—expires Dec. 31.

https://ow.ly/FPKE50XMMxu
COMMENTARY | Trump and Congress Just Gifted Big Oil a Multimillion Dollar Stocking Stuffer
Congress quietly gave the oil industry a multimillion dollar tax break by allowing the 9 cent-per-barrel oil tax into the federal Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund to expire.
ow.ly
December 20, 2025 at 6:25 PM
peer.org
At PEER, we believe restoring accountability is among the most urgent environmental and public health challenges of our time. It’s a challenge we know how to meet — if we choose to strengthen, rather than silence, the institutions designed to keep government honest.

https://ow.ly/H6xk50XLGvF
Building Accountability Back Into Government: Why It’s Essential for the Environment and Public Health
At PEER, we believe restoring accountability is among the most urgent environmental and public health challenges of our time.
ow.ly
December 18, 2025 at 8:46 PM
peer.org
PEER and a coalition of nonprofits are standing up to Trump-Vance efforts to defund CIGIE—the body that coordinates oversight efforts across federal agencies and supports 70+ independent Offices of Inspectors General fighting waste, fraud, and corruption in government.

https://ow.ly/ZXxQ50XLC8b
Lawsuit Filed to Protect Crucial Oversight Watchdogs From Trump-Vance Administration Assault
Unlawful Defunding of Inspectors General Council Part of Administration's Effort to Mask Conduct, Avoid Transparency and Accountability
ow.ly
December 18, 2025 at 6:10 PM
peer.org
Several major rollbacks of environmental and public health protections have come almost back-to-back. None of them should be viewed in isolation. Together, they show a government being redirected to serve a narrow set of industries at the expense of the public.

https://ow.ly/Ggvq50XGrJs
COMMENTARY | Environmental Attacks Continue at Full Speed; Much of it Under the Radar
Several major rollbacks show a government being redirected to serve a narrow set of industries at the expense of the public.
ow.ly
December 9, 2025 at 5:50 PM
peer.org
Today, six former EPA employees filed First Amendment legal challenges to their firings for signing an open letter protesting the politicization of science at EPA. PEER is serving as legal counsel for one and co-counsel for another.

https://ow.ly/l3Om50XBovv

#FreeSpeech #StandUpForScience
EPA Employees Challenge Firings for Signing Dissent Letter
Truth Is Not a Fireable Offense for Federal Employees
ow.ly
December 3, 2025 at 4:34 PM
peer.org
With the government now reopened, this season of gratitude and reflection feels like the right moment to recognize the extraordinary public servants who keep our country running.
1/4
November 27, 2025 at 6:00 PM
peer.org
Today, Plaintiffs appealed a federal district court's dismissal of their lawsuit challenging EPA's failure to identify and regulate toxic PFAS in sewage sludge. PEER brought the lawsuit in 2024.

https://ow.ly/Q1Mn50XxvfV
Adverse Court Decision in Toxic Sewage Sludge Case Now on Appeal
Decision Would Let EPA Indefinitely Delay Protecting Americans from PFAS in Sewage Sludge Fertilizer
ow.ly
November 25, 2025 at 3:15 PM
peer.org
Today, PEER called out a FVRA violation: Jeffrey Clark’s appointment as OIRA's "Acting Administrator" is illegal. Yet he's playing a major role in authorizing Trump administration deregulatory actions, including weakening Endangered Species Act regulations.
https://ow.ly/YBmT50XtyuO
New Letter To OMB Director Vought Warns that OIRA Chief Jeffrey Clark’s “Acting” Role Is Illegal And Actions He Has Taken Are In Jeopardy
This Is the Latest Example Of Trump Administration Vacancies Act Violations
ow.ly
November 18, 2025 at 3:53 PM
peer.org
In his short time as Secretary of the Interior, Doug Burgum has already overseen a major expansion of his own office staffing while other Interior agencies have shrunk.

https://ow.ly/Zrnr50XsTkS

#PublicLands
Interior Secretary Grabs Unparalleled Staff and Functions
Office of Secretary Nearly Triples in 9 Months to 3rd Largest Interior Bureau
ow.ly
November 17, 2025 at 3:24 PM
peer.org
Ten months into the Trump administration, one thing is clear: protecting public employees and the environment depends on our ability to combat rising authoritarianism and promote democratic values.

https://ow.ly/jyyq50XnWJP

#DemocracyMatters
COMMENTARY | Confronting the Rise of Authoritarianism
The the fate of our work protecting public employees and the environment is dependent on our ability to combat authoritarianism and promote democratic values.
ow.ly
November 7, 2025 at 5:35 PM
peer.org
A recycling industry group has stopped classifying certain fluorinated plastic containers as recyclable, since the fluorination process creates high levels of PFAS. This could spark manufacturing reforms to keep forever chemicals out of food and consumer products.

https://ow.ly/Pgyn50Xn7hc

#PFAS
Recyclers Ban Fluorinated Containers Due to PFAS
EPA Being Sued for Its Failure to Stop This Forever Chemical Contamination
ow.ly
November 5, 2025 at 3:10 PM
peer.org
Congress needs to listen to the experts who’ve warned that this U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plan will have serious negative impacts. Thank you @protectnps.bsky.social for standing up for wildlife.
November 4, 2025 at 9:48 PM
peer.org
In tomorrow's election, federal employees won't get paid leave to vote or volunteer as a poll-worker — even those already working without pay during the shutdown.

https://ow.ly/LOzK50XlPOg

#ElectionDay #FederalEmployees #Shutdown
Unpaid Federal Employees Denied Time Off to Vote
Trump Reversal of Time-Off Policy Aggravates Shutdown Inequities
ow.ly
November 3, 2025 at 3:17 PM
peer.org
PEER has identified four Interior officials who aren't legally qualified to serve as "acting" leaders, but who are publicly using “acting” titles and signing official agency actions under those titles.

🔗 https://ow.ly/xE2B50XkWeU

#FVRA
PEER Warns Interior’s Illegal Use of “Acting” Officials Puts Department Decisions in Legal Jeopardy
Group Says Second Trump Administration Repeating Same Vacancies Act Violations Struck Down the First Time
ow.ly
October 31, 2025 at 2:05 PM
peer.org
Today, PEER filed a complaint challenging EPA's false claim that one of the two most widely used forms of PFAS is no longer produced domestically.
https://ow.ly/CSQM50XjOsn

#ForeverChemicals
EPA's Principal Claim of PFAS Progress Is Untrue
Deadly Long-chains Are Manufactured Daily and Threaten Public Health
ow.ly
October 29, 2025 at 3:24 PM
peer.org
Bulldozers and backhoes have razed the East Wing of the White House to make way for Trump's big, beautiful ballroom. As usual, Trump has barreled ahead, ignoring the law, tradition, and concerns about historic preservation and good taste.
COMMENTARY | East Wing Demolition Metaphor for Trump Governance
Trump has barreled ahead with razing the East Wing of the White House, heedless of the law, tradition, or concerns about historic protection and good taste.
peer.org
October 29, 2025 at 2:54 AM
peer.org
Tonight at 7pm ET, join PEER for @whistlep2p.bsky.social's October roundtable as we confront the systemic barriers that silence truth-tellers, explore the protections they deserve, and spotlight the courage it takes to challenge powerful interests.

www.eventbrite.com/e/guardians-...
Guardians of the Planet: Environmental Whistleblowing
As pollution, climate change, and ecological crises accelerate, the role of whistleblowers in defending the planet has never been more vital
www.eventbrite.com
October 28, 2025 at 2:49 PM