For more than three decades, the Washington writer kept the public informed about the driving environmental issue of the times
For Columbia Insight and others, John Harrison was the voice of power. Courtesy photo
By Chuck Thompson. February 10, 2025. If you wanted to know about energy in the Pacific Northwest, John Harrison was your man.
Hydroelectric. Solar. Wind. Transmission lines. Right of ways. Legal issues. Old projects. New plans. Harrison knew as much about electrifying the Columbia River Basin as just about anyone.
True to his easygoing, generous nature, he was always happy to share his knowledge.
That made him particularly valuable to Columbia Insight over the past few years.
After retiring in 2022, following a 31-year career as information officer at the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, John picked up where he’d started his career—as a reporter and copy editor at several Pacific Northwest newspapers—by joining Columbia Insight as our go-to journalist for all things energy-related.
For any environmental news organization, “Energy” is as important a beat as there is. This is especially true in the Pacific Northwest, where the Columbia River plays such an outsized role in everything from power to agriculture to recreation to salmon recovery.
John died last week of lymphoma. He was 71 years old.
A Vancouver, Wash., resident, John was a graduate of Washington State University (Pullman, Communications) and the University of Oregon (MA Journalism).
His excellence as a journalist reflected his personality. Although his commitment to environmental causes and to renewable energy was clear, he was objective in his analysis and reporting, never soft-pedaling the obstacles. By nature a kind person, with a gentle wit and sense of irony, he was not without sympathy for those who opposed positions he personally held—he understood that people with very different viewpoints could be acting in good faith. But facts were facts.
For almost a decade, he’d been an active member of the board of Friends of the Columbia Gorge, where he was known for his thoughtful contributions to board discussions.
“He was thrilled when we asked him to join the board nine years ago and his reporter objectivity helped me navigate challenging times,” said Kevin Gorman, executive director of Friends of the Columbia Gorge. “I will always appreciate his counsel and wisdom.”
With John’s passing, the region has lost perhaps its most knowledgeable energy and environmental reporter, and an irreplaceable font of institutional knowledge of Northwest power issues.
So glad to have known John through work. So sad about his early death.
What a kind and generous man. My condolences to his family. A big loss for many and the Gorge of which he played a prominent role in preserving and protecting.
I’m so so sorry to learn that John died. He was always extremely helpful to me as a reporter–as you said, he was always happy to share his knowledge. But he was also always willing to try to find out anything he might not know, and to tell me who else I should call to get a deeper understanding. He’s the kind of public information officer that reporters love because he cared about the same things we do–accuracy, balance and an understanding of issues on a deeper level. But more than our professional relationship, I mostly appreciated John for his kind and caring nature. The region won’t be the same without him.
I’m glad he shared so much of his writing,
thought contributions, and journalist strategies it appears with so many in our region. Thanks for highlighting the journalist behind so many stories I undoubtedly read! And may he rest in power.
Boy Chuck & KC nailed it. We will miss you John. RIP
Hello there to John’s colleagues, what a lovely tribute for a wonderful kind human being. I have known John since
elementary school and now reside in Vancouver. Is there a date for a remembrance memorial service, I would like to attend if possible. Thank you, Stephanie Coder
I’m sorry to hear that John is not here anymore. I knew him first through his wonderful book, A Woman Alone. It was so well researched and documented the story of a unique and independent woman. I also appreciated his Columbia River book. I could always assume that if John wrote it, it was accurate. John kindly wrote the foreword to my Bonneville Lock and Dam book. I was so flattered that he did that. Dawn and family, please accept my sincere condolences. We’ve lost a great writer and an exceptional human being.