Jeff Brady
Jeff Brady is a National Desk Correspondent based in Philadelphia, where he covers energy issues, climate change and the mid-Atlantic region. 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 energy stories from the consumer side of the light switch and the gas pump in an effort to demystify an industry that can seem complicated and opaque. Frequently traveling throughout the country for NPR, Brady has reported on the Texas oil business hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, the closing of a light bulb factory in Pennsylvania and a new generation of climate activists holding protests from Oregon to New York. In 2017 his reporting showed a history of racism and sexism that have made it difficult for the oil business to diversify its workforce.
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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Amy Goodman will not face criminal charges for her coverage of an oil pipeline protest in North Dakota last month. Prosecutors say they may still bring charges later. -
Protesters continue to gather at the site of a proposed oil pipeline despite Friday's announcement that the government would pause construction on federally owned land. -
Sexual abuse allegations against Bill Cosby are now part of a political campaign. In a race for district attorney in Pennsylvania, candidates are blaming the other for ignoring victims. -
A 2008 law requires all U.S. railroads to install a new safety system that monitors and regulates train speed. Unless there's an extension, railroads say they'll shut down rather than pay fines. -
The report says there are few incidents of tainted water given the number of wells. Energy companies agree. Environmentalists accuse the industry of undue influence over the study. -
"Wherever you walk around, there goes a cop," says one resident, who is happy with the changes in the city. But some critics still see evidence of old-school police tactics that they say don't work. -
The solar industry employs nearly 174,000 workers in the U.S., up 22 percent from a year ago. But the industry's future is murky, as government subsidies are set to expire within two years. -
The long-delayed project is a jobs generator to some and an ecological disaster to others. Ahead of a key Senate vote, we revisit what the Keystone XL pipeline would do and why it's so contentious. -
Drillers pumping oil on the Great Plains are also producing a lot of natural gas. But the state doesn't have the infrastructure to transport or store it, so much of that gas isn't being sold — it's being set on fire.
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North Dakota's oil sector is booming, but agriculture remains the state's largest industry. And while many farmers and ranchers are profiting from the oil beneath the prairie, others complain that drilling is interfering with their business — and changing rural life as they know it.
