Forms part of the Northwest Power Planning Council Oral History Project.
Collection is open for research.
Albert E. Wright was born in Healdsburg, California, in 1942, and he grew up in Cloverdale, California. In 1965, he earned a bachelor's degree in engineering from the University of California at Berkeley. He worked as an engineer for Los Angeles Water and Power. He then relocated to Oregon and worked for the Oregon Water Resources Board during the administration of Governor Tom McCall. After McCall left office, Wright worked several other jobs in water resource management in Oregon and Washington. In 1981, he joined the Pacific Northwest Utilities Conference Committee, and became its executive director in 1985. He retired in the mid-1990s, and began a consulting business in Portland.
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 Al Wright, by Michael O'Rourke, SR 2763, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Northwest Power Planning Council records, Mss 1852, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
This oral history interview with Al Wright was conducted by Michael O'Rourke from April 15 to October 28, 2002. 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. The interview was conducted in five sessions. Collection includes a transcript.
In this interview, Wright discusses his family background, early life in California, and early career in California and Oregon. He talks about his work with the Pacific Northwest Utilities Conference Committee, and the PNUCC's involvement with the work of the Northwest Power Planning Council. He speaks about the council's relationship with the Bonneville Power Administration, about the interests of electrical utilities in Montana and Idaho, and describes the impact the addition of some salmon species to the endangered species list in 1989 had on the council. He also speaks at length about the deregulation of electric utilities that began in the 1990s.
Copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society. Use is allowed according to the following statement: Creative Commons - BY-NC-SA,
In the first interview session, conducted on April 15, 2002, Wright discusses his family background and early life in Cloverdale, California. He talks about his education at the University of California at Berkeley, and about his early career as an engineer with Los Angeles Water and Power. He speaks about serving on the Oregon Water Resources Board, conducting a wastewater study in Eugene, and serving on the Pacific Northwest River Basins Commission.
In the second interview session, conducted on May 23, 2002, Wright discusses the history of the Washington Public Power Supply System and its relationship to the 1980 Northwest Power Act. He speaks about the development of the Northwest Power Planning Council, including the leadership of Dan Evans, and lobbying state governors regarding appointments to the council. He talks about his work with the Pacific Northwest Utilities Conference Committee, and the PNUCC's involvement with the work of the power planning council, particularly the council's fish and wildlife plan. He also talks about some of the members of the council, and shares the perspectives of electrical utilities regarding the council's power and conservation plans.
In the third interview session, conducted on July 12, 2002, Wright speaks at length about the relationship between the NWPPC and the Bonneville Power Administration. He discusses his work on the fish and wildlife committee of PNUCC, and speaks at length about the fish and wildlife plan of the council, including the science behind the plan, its effectiveness, and its implementation. He talks about the effectiveness of salmon hatcheries on the Columbia River, and about outcomes for hatchery fish. He discusses the allocation of the BPA budget for fish and energy conservation. He talks about working with some of the members of the council, including Norma Paulus; discusses the interests of electrical utilities in Montana; and speaks about working with the Army Corps of Engineers.
In the fourth interview session, conducted on August 20, 2002, Wright continues to discuss the interests of electrical utilities in Montana and working with some of the members of the NWPPC. He also talks about the interests of electric utilities in Idaho. He describes the impact the addition of some salmon species to the endangered species list in 1989 had on the council.
In the fifth and final interview session, conducted on October 28, 2002, Wright continues to describe the impact the addition of some salmon species to the endangered species list in 1989 had on the council. He speaks about the conflicts surrounding the NWPPC's 1994 fish and wildlife plan, about the retirement of Ed Sheets, and about the turnover in council members and staff in the 1990s. He shares his reasons for leaving PNUCC after 1995, and talks about running a consulting business. He discusses the work of the NWPPC under the leadership of John Etchart, speaks at length about the deregulation of electric utilities that began in the 1990s, and closes the interview by sharing his opinion on public utilities.