Oral history interview with Chuck T. Collins

Collection

Identifier: SR 2755

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

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. A transcript is available.

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.

Dates

1999 October 19

Creator

Collins, Chuck (Charles T.) (Interviewee, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society. Use is allowed according to the following statement: Creative Commons - BY-NC-SA, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

Biographical note

Charles Thomas Collins was born in Butte, Montana, in 1941. In the early 1950s, his family relocated to Spokane, Washington. He attended the Georgetown University Foreign Service School, then transferred to Gonzaga University in Spokane. He attended the University of Washington Law School until he was drafted into the U.S. Army. He was a cavalry platoon leader in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. In 1966, he and Nancy Querna were married; they later had two children. After his discharge from the Army, he earned a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Washington. He interned with King County Executive John Spellman, then became King County administrator, and from 1976 to 1981, he served as director of King County Metro. From 1981 to 1986, he represented Washington on the Northwest Power Planning Council, now known as the Northwest Power and Conservation Council. After leaving the council, he served on the Washington State Commission on Student Learning, and later remodeled buildings in Montana.

Historical note

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.

Extent

0.1 Cubic Feet (7 audiocassettes (6 hr., 43 min., 28 sec.) + transcript (158 pages))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Oral history interview with Chuck T. Collins conducted by Michael O'Rourke on October 19, 1999, as part of the Northwest Power Planning Council Oral History Project. Collins was a member of the council, now known as the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, from 1981 to 1986.