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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Climate change is major election issue for Democrats, but not Republicans. Yet polls show many young conservatives are concerned about climate impacts, and some are lobbying for solutions. -
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. -
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. -
President Trump is making major changes to a bedrock environmental law that he says will help the economy. Critics say the move will sideline input from communities affected by polluting projects. -
The coronavirus pandemic requires people to weigh risks and make choices about their activities. But there can be problems when a choice conflicts with what the people around us decide to do. -
Climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions are not part of the $3 trillion in U.S. relief packages passed so far — despite a long history of funding energy programs after economic crises. -
A White House executive order aims to expedite infrastructure projects to boost economic recovery. It lets federal agencies waive environmental protections, but critics question its legality. -
Friends and loved ones say George Floyd, who died after an encounter with four Minneapolis police officers Monday, was an athlete, a former rapper and someone who was fun to be around. -
Energy demand plummeted because of the pandemic shutdown. A big question is whether new habits like telecommuting and flying less will endure, and mean lower oil consumption in the future.
