Brendan DeMelle

About

Brendan DeMelle is Executive Director of DeSmog. He is also a freelance writer and researcher specializing in media, politics, climate change and clean energy. He has served as research associate for Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., researcher for The Ring of Fire, researcher for Laurie David, law and policy analyst for Environmental Working Group, campus organizer for Connecticut Public Interest Research Group, environmental justice associate for EPA Region 10, among other positions in his career. DeMelle has provided writing and communications services on a wide range of topics, with a demonstrated ability to simplify complex and technical issues into concise, accessible language for general public consumption.

His work has appeared in Vanity Fair, The Huffington Post, Grist, The Washington Times and other outlets, including a peer-reviewed article in the Journal of Rural History about the social and ecological impacts of the St. Lawrence Seaway and Power Project. He graduated from St. Lawrence University with a BA in Sociology and Environmental Studies in 1998, and lives in Seattle, Washington.

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Reuters has more details on Chesapeakeโ€™s just-announced suspension of fracking at its unconventional gas operations throughout Pennsylvania due to an ongoing blowout. Apparently, since their emerge...
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Chesapeake Energy announced today the total suspension of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) at its Pennsylvania unconventional gas drilling operations, citing the still out-of-control blowout at one ...
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Pennsylvania news outlets reported two major developments in the controversy over fracking and unconventional gas today. The president of the Marcellus Shale Coalition has admitted publicly that fr...
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**UPDATE: The Cornell paper is now available in final, published format here: โ€œMethane and the greenhouse-gas emissions footprint of natural gas from shale formations.โ€[PDF]The Hill reported this m...
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The Center for Public Integrity has an in-depth look today at Koch Industriesโ€™ โ€œWeb of Influenceโ€ in Washington, revealing the immense growth in Kochโ€™s spending on lobbyists and influence peddling ...
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The Alberta government released its Lower Athabasca Regional Plan (LARP) today extolling the provinceโ€™s efforts to protect lands from industrial development โ€“ except it turns out the claims more cl...
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If youโ€™re looking for something good to watch or record on TV tonight, tune in to PBSโ€™s โ€˜Journey To Planet Earthโ€™ series for a special called โ€˜Plan B: Mobilizing To Save Civilization.โ€™ (10pm EST, o...
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I recently re-watched this 18-minute video produced by Britainโ€™s Ecologist Film Unit profiling the threats posed by hydraulic fracturing for gas in the Marcellus Shale in the eastern U.S.ย  Itโ€™s an ...
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PolluterWatch is serving up a great tongue-in-cheek โ€œmemo to the Koch PR teamโ€ tonight, noting the obvious blunders from Koch Industriesโ€™ astroturfing and attack squad lately. The Kochtopus keeps r...
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New documents uncovered in the ongoing legal battle over Chevron/Texacoโ€™s destruction of the Ecuadorian rainforest show that, while Chevron recently labeled the guilty verdict and $18 billion fine ...