Forms part of the Northwest Power Planning Council Oral History Project.
Collection is open for research.
John Harrison earned a bachelor's degree in communications from Washington State University, and a master's degree in journalism from the University of Oregon. He was a reporter at the Spokane Chronicle. From 1990 to 2021, he was the information officer of the Northwest Power Planning Council, now known as the Northwest Power and Conservation Council. He then worked as a freelance writer.
John Shurts was born in 1956. He earned a bachelor's degree in history from Colorado College, a law degree from Lewis & Clark College, and a Ph.D. in American history from the University of Oregon. He was an adjunct professor at several universities in Oregon, and served as general counsel for the Northwest Power Planning Council, now known as the Northwest Power and Conservation Council.
The Northwest Power Planning Council is a four-state regional planning body formed by Congress through the Northwest Power Act of 1980 to develop and maintain regional conservation and electric power plans and a fish and wildlife program. The council is composed of two representatives from each member state: Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana. The mission of the council is "to preserve the benefits of the Columbia River for future generations." The body was originally known as the Pacific Northwest Electric Power and Conservation Planning Council; the name was shortened to Northwest Power Planning Council in October 1981, and in 2003, the name was changed to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council.
Forms part of the Northwest Power Planning Council Oral History Project.
Oral history interview with John Harrison and John Shurts, by Michael O'Rourke, SR 11412, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Northwest Power Planning Council records, Mss 1852, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
This oral history interview with John Harrison and John Shurts was conducted by Michael O'Rourke on May 21, 1998. The interview was conducted as part of the Northwest Power Planning Council Oral History Project, which documented the history and purpose of the Northwest Power Planning Council, now known as the Northwest Power and Conservation Council. A transcript of the interview is available.
In this interview, Harrison and Shurts speak at length about the origins of the 1980 Northwest Power Act, and describe the provisions of the bill. They describe the power planning and fish conservation responsibilities of the Northwest Power Planning Council. They speak about the challenges the council faced in its attempts to protect salmon populations, and about the application of the Endangered Species Act in the Pacific Northwest. They discuss how the changing politics in the Pacific Northwest in the 1990s affected the council's work. They speak at length about the relationship between the Northwest Power Planning Council and the Bonneville Power Administration, particularly regarding funding.
Joint copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society, John Harrison, and John Shurts. Use is allowed according to the following statement: In Copyright – Non-Commercial Use Permitted,