This oral history interview with John N. Etchart was conducted by Michael O'Rourke from August 8, 2002, to May 26, 2004. 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 two sessions.

In the first interview session, conducted in Bend, Oregon, on August 8, 2002, Etchart discusses his family background and early life on a ranch in northeastern Montana, including his education, his family's political beliefs, and his involvement in athletics. He talks about his experiences at Carroll College in Helena, Montana, and then describes his experiences in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. He also talks about studying law at the University of San Francisco, about pursuing a career in education and counseling, and about his marriage to Sarah Fortune Russell. He speaks about serving as the inland states coordinator for the Northern Tier Pipeline, and about his brief service as an under-secretary of the Department of Interior. He then discusses his work as a vice president of the Burlington Northern Railroad. He talks about the election of Montana Governor Marc Racicot, then speaks at length about becoming a council member from Montana on the Northwest Power Planning Council in 1993. He shares his thoughts about the council's activities in the 1980s, particularly regarding the failure of the Washington Public Power Supply System, and talks about his fellow council members.

In the second interview session, conducted over the telephone on May 26, 2004, Etchart shares his reasons for voting against the NWPPC's 1994 fish and wildlife plan, talks about how the council changed after the 1994 elections, and speaks at length about the controversy surrounding the departure of Executive Director Ed Sheets. He closes the interview by discussing his work as council chair from 1995 to 2000.

This oral history interview with Chuck T. Collins was conducted by Michael O'Rourke at Collins' home on Mercer Island, Washington, on October 19, 1999. 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.

In this interview, Collins discusses his family background and talks about his early life on a ranch in Missoula, Montana, and about his teenage years in Spokane, Washington. He talks about his experiences at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., at Gonzaga University in Spokane, and at the University of Washington. He also talks about his marriage to Nancy Querna. He speaks at length about his service as a cavalry platoon leader in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. He also shares his thoughts about the unfairness of the draft system and about the morality of the war. He talks about working with John Spellman in King County government and about serving as director of King County Metro.

Collins speaks at length about representing Washington on the Northwest Power Planning Council, now known as the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, from 1981 to 1986. He talks about other members and staff of the council, about the mission and purpose of the council, and about the development of the council's first power and conservation plan. He discusses opposition to the council's Model Conservation Standards and shares his reasons for leaving the NWPPC. He also speaks at length about the bankruptcy of the Washington Public Power Supply System. He talks about the activities of the council after his departure, particularly the change in state politics in the 1990s and how that affected the work and membership of the NWPPC. He also discusses the council's efforts to increase salmon populations in the Columbia River. He discusses his activities since leaving the NWPPC, and talks about his children, their families, and their careers. He closes the interview by speaking further about other members of the council.

This oral history interview with Roy H. Hemmingway was conducted by Michael O'Rourke at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland, Oregon, from August 29 to October 20, 2000. 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 four sessions.

In the first interview session, conducted on August 29, 2000, Hemmingway discusses his family background and early life in Illinois, including his education and his early political beliefs. He shares his experiences studying international politics at Stanford University and studying environmental law at Yale University, and talks about his international travels in the 1960s. He discusses his reasons for specializing in environmental law; landmark environmental legislation in the 1960s and 1970s; and his involvement with the Oregon Environmental Council. He speaks about working as a lawyer for the Oregon Public Utility Commission, including researching a case against the Bonneville Power Administration and lobbying the Oregon Legislature on energy legislation.

In the second interview session, conducted on September 29, 2000, Hemmingway continues to discuss working for the Oregon Public Utility Commission, and talks about his conflict with PUC chair John J. Lobdell. He speaks at length about the drafting of the 1980 Northwest Power Act, and talks about the people and organizations that were involved. He then talks about representing Oregon on the Northwest Power Planning Council from 1981 to 1986. He describes the organization of the council, talks about the development of the first energy conservation plan and fish and wildlife plan, and speaks about the financial difficulties of the Washington Public Power Supply System (WPPSS).

In the third interview session, conducted on October 6, 2000, Hemmingway continues to discuss representing Oregon on the Northwest Power Planning Council from 1981 to 1986. He talks about opposition to the council's first plans, particularly the lawsuit against the model building codes, and discusses his reasons for leaving the council in 1986. He speaks about his fellow council members, about interstate conflicts that affected the council's work in the 1980s, and about the financial difficulties of WPPSS. He also talks about the development of the first NWPPC fish plan and discusses proposals to remove dams on the Snake River.

In the fourth and final interview session, conducted on October 20, 2000, Hemmingway speaks further about some of the NWPPC members, including those who served after he left the council. He shares his thoughts about the 1994 fish and wildlife plan, which he reviewed while working as a policy advisor for Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber; talks about the management of the Bonneville Power Administration, including his candidacy for administrator in the late 1990s; and discusses deregulation of electric utilities. He closes the interview by speaking about his career as an energy consultant, including his work with Portland General Electric, and about his role in Kitzhaber's administration from 1995 to the time of the interview.

This oral history interview with Jim W. Litchfield was conducted by Michael O'Rourke at Litchfield's office in Portland, Oregon, from September 21-22, 2000. 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 two sessions. Session 2 begins partway through Tape 3, Side 1.

In the first interview session, conducted on September 21, 2000, Litchfield discusses his family background and early life in Yakima, Washington, including his education at Yakima Valley College. He talks about his experience studying engineering at the University of Washington and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, then speaks at length about his work as a consultant with Battelle in the 1970s, including his work on decommissioning the Hanford Nuclear Power Plant. He discusses his service as power planning director for the Northwest Power Planning Council from 1981 to 1992. He talks about his work on the first power and conservation plan; the people he worked with, particularly Dan Evans; and the early organizational structure of the council. He also talks about the council's relationship with the Bonneville Power Administration and other electric utilities, about the financial troubles of the Washington Public Power Supply System, and about the council's first fish and wildlife plan.

In the second interview session, conducted on September 22, 2000, Litchfield continues to discuss his service as power planning director for the NWPPC. He talks about the implementation of and opposition to the council's Model Conservation Standards, discusses how the power surplus of the 1980s affected the council's work, and shares his reasons for leaving the council in 1992. He also revisits the topic of the financial troubles of the Washington Public Power Supply System. He talks about his work as a consultant after leaving the council, particularly on the Snake River Recovery Team; about his observations of how the council's work was affected by the changing state politics of the 1990s; and about the controversy surrounding proposals to remove the Snake River dams. He closes the interview by discussing deregulation of electric utilities.

This oral history interview with Randy W. Hardy was conducted by Michael O'Rourke from June 11 to September 10, 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 two sessions.

In the first interview session, conducted in Portland, Oregon, on June 11, 2002, Hardy discusses his family background and early life in a military family. He speaks at length about his career in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War, and shares his opinion about the war. He talks about his graduate studies in public affairs at the University of Washington, about his marriage to Jane Van Leuven, and about his reasons for leaving the Navy. He discusses his work with the Federal Energy Administration in the late 1970s.

In the second interview session, conducted in Spokane, Washington, on September 10, 2002, Hardy continues to discuss his work with the Federal Energy Administration in the late 1970s, and talks about the passage of the 1980 Northwest Power Act. He speaks at length about the development and failure of the Washington Public Power Supply System, talks about the management of the Bonneville Power Administration in the 1980s, and about the relationship between the Northwest Power Planning Council and the BPA. He then speaks at length about his work as executive director of the Pacific Northwest Utilities Conference Committee. He also talks about serving as superintendent of Seattle City Light, shares his thoughts about the NWPPC's model conservation standards, and speaks at length about his service as CEO of the BPA in the 1990s. He also discusses the effects of the deregulation of electric utilities, talks about how changing state politics in the 1990s affected the work of the NWPPC, and speculates about the future of energy utilities in the Pacific Northwest. He closes the interview by talking about his activities since leaving the BPA in 1997.

This oral history interview with Peter Johnson was conducted by Michael O'Rourke at the Bonneville Power Administration's offices, and at the Oregon Historical Society, in Portland, Oregon, and at Johnson's home in McCall, Idaho, from March 1 to September 9, 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 three sessions. The first session was originally recorded on Tapes 1 and 2; Tape 2 is missing, but its content is included in an incomplete transcript.

In the first interview session, conducted at the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) offices in Portland on March 1, 2002, Johnson discusses his family background and early life in Boise, Idaho, including his education and his recreational activities. He briefly talks about his experiences at Dartmouth College, about his marriage to Carolyn Ann Carley, and about his service in the U.S. Air Force. He speaks about his career in construction, first with the MacGregor Triangle Company from 1957 to 1968, and with the Trus Joist Company from 1968 to 1979. He describes some of the construction jobs he worked on, including for the Bonneville Power Administration and for the University of Idaho. He shares his reasons for seeking a job in government. He also discusses his involvement in the Republican Party and serving on the transition team for President Ronald Reagan.

In the second interview session, conducted at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland on May 6, 2002, Johnson discusses his service as administrator of the BPA. He talks about the people he worked with at the BPA, and speaks at length about his handling of the failure of the Washington Public Power Supply System's plan to build nuclear power plants. He talks about his early days as BPA administrator, particularly about developing a mission statement and a strategic plan, and about stabilizing BPA's finances. He then discusses working with the Northwest Power Planning Council and focuses on his working relationship with NWPPC chair Dan Evans.

In the third and final interview session, conducted at Johnson's home in McCall, Idaho, on September 9, 2002, Johnson speaks further about the failure of the WPPSS nuclear power plants. He then speaks further about working with the NWPPC; discusses working with individual council members, particularly Dan Evans, Kai Lee, and Bob Saxvik; and talks about BPA lawyer Mike Katz. He talks about his relationship with members of Congress from the Pacific Northwest, particularly Mark Hatfield and James McClure. He also talks about his successor at BPA, Randy Hardy, as well as his predecessor, Sterling Monroe; about members of his staff; and about his relationship with the CEOs of other electric utilities, particularly Don Frisbee of PacifiCorp. He also talks about the construction of additional powerhouses at the Bonneville Dam. He shares his reasons for leaving the BPA in 1986, talks about his retirement activities, and discusses his service on various governmental committees regarding nuclear power. He closes the interview by talking about the work of the NWPPC after his retirement, particularly the political conflicts that arose around the council in the 1990s, and about deregulation of electric utilities.