Jeff Brady
Jeff Brady is a National Desk Correspondent based in Philadelphia, where he covers energy issues and climate change. Brady helped establish NPR's environment and energy collaborative which brings together NPR and Member station reporters from across the country to cover the big stories involving the natural world.
Brady approaches stories from the consumer side of the light switch and the gas pump in an effort to demystify an energy system that can seem complicated and opaque. Brady has reported on natural gas utilities fighting to preserve their business in a world more concerned about climate change, the long saga over the Keystone XL oil pipeline, the closing of a light bulb factory in Pennsylvania and how gas ranges pollute homes and make climate change worse.
In 2017 his reporting showed a history of racism and sexism that have made it difficult for the oil business to diversify its workforce. A union at the center of that reporting now faces a class-action lawsuit from its Black members.
In 2011 Brady led NPR's coverage of the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse scandal at Penn State—from the night legendary football coach Joe Paterno was fired to the trial where Sandusky was found guilty.
In 2005, Brady was among the NPR reporters who covered the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. His reporting on flooded cars left behind after the storm exposed efforts to stall the implementation of a national car titling system. Today, the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System is operational and the Department of Justice estimates it could save car buyers up to $11 billion a year.
Before coming to NPR in September 2003, Brady was a reporter at Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) in Portland. He has also worked in commercial television as an anchor and a reporter, and in commercial radio as a talk-show host and reporter.
Brady graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Southern Oregon State College (now Southern Oregon University). In 2018 SOU honored Brady with its annual "Distinguished Alumni" award.
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Some activists are sitting out protests after deadly incidents around the country. Others say they are not deterred but are taking extra safety precautions.
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The Postal Service has been an important pathway into the middle class for generations of African-American workers. Many worry the current upheaval and a long privatization campaign put that at risk.
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Starting with a special law after the Civil War, the U.S. Postal Service has provided a path to the middle class for generations of African Americans. Some worry a privatization push threatens that. -
Changes at the U.S. Postal Service - and the pandemic - have workers and customers noticing significant slowdowns in the Philadelphia area. Some worry about the upcoming election in this swing state.
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The Trump administration is ending Obama-era restrictions on emissions of methane, a potent climate-warming gas. Some oil and gas giants oppose the move, but smaller companies welcome it.
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The rule ends Obama-era restrictions on emissions of methane, a potent climate-warming gas. The move could make it harder to argue that natural gas is a cleaner-burning fossil fuel than coal. -
Proposed new emergency preparedness rules would allow nuclear plants closer to where people live. Companies say the plants are safer, but they need the rule changes for a viable business model. -
In cities across the U.S., essential workers walked off their jobs and took to the streets Monday to demand racial and economic justice as part of a nationwide "Strike for Black Lives."
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President Trump announced changes to the regulations governing the National Environmental Policy Act. They could boost construction of big infrastructure projects but sideline environmental concerns.
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President Trump and former Vice President Biden are laying out polar opposite plans for infrastructure and jobs. Trump's aim is to boost fossil fuels, while Biden wants to curb climate change.
