Peter Lehner

Background

About Peter Lehner

Peter Lehner is Managing Attorney of the Sustainable Food & Farming (SFF) Program at Earthjustice, the country’s largest nonprofit public interest environmental law organization. The SFF Program deploys strategies to promote a more just, environmentally sound, and climate-resilient agricultural system and to reduce the health, environmental, and climate harms from production of our food. From 2007–2015, Lehner was the Executive Director of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the NRDC Action Fund. There, he grew the organization and particularly the climate change and clean energy programs, opened several new offices and programs, and expanded the food system work. From he served as Chief of the Environmental Protection Bureau of the New York State Attorney General’s office, supervising all environmental litigation by and against the state. He developed innovative multi-state strategies targeting global warming and air pollution emissions from the nation’s largest electric utilities, spearheaded novel watershed enforcement programs, and led cases addressing invasive species, wildlife protection, and public health. Peter previously served at NRDC for five years directing the clean water program where he brought important attention to stormwater pollution. Before that, he created and led the environmental prosecution unit for New York City. He clerked for Chief Judge James Browning of the Ninth Circuit.