Peter J. Paquet was born in Vanport, Oregon, in 1945. In 1967, he earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Santa Clara in California. He worked at the NASA Ames Research Center for a few years. He returned to Portland and in 1978, he earned a combined master’s degree and Ph.D. in environmental science from Portland State University. He was wildlife and resident fish manager for the Northwest Power Planning Council, now known as the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, from 1981 to 2014. From 1992 to 2015, he was also the director of the watershed management professional program at Portland State University.

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.