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.