NBC’S EARTH DAY COVERAGE FEATURES GRAND COULEE DAM

Commissioner's Office
Washington, D.C.
Media Contact: Dan DuBray 202-513-0574
Released On: April 22, 2008

CLICK HERE TO SEE VIDEO

The national media spotlight for Earth Day 2008 was on The Bureau of Reclamation's Grand Coulee Dam, as NBC-TV’s top-rated “Today Show” program introduced its "Green Power Today" feature. The first in a week-long series of environmental news segments aimed at highlighting the nation’s energy conservation efforts, the feature focused on the vital importance of hydropower in America’s growing demand for clean sources of energy.

A link to the complete NBC “Today Show” segment can be found via Reclamation's website at www.usbr.gov .

NBC “Today Show” correspondent Kevin Tibbles interviewed Grand Coulee project manager David Murillo and Grand Coulee public affairs officer Lynne Brougher about the production of hydroelectricity at the Reclamation facility.

“Today Show” host Matt Lauer introduced the series from NBC’s Rockefeller Center Studio in New York. Through individual interviews and graphic animation, Tibbles explained how Reclamation's power generation facilities operate at Grand Coulee. The segment also includes a brief history of Grand Coulee Dam.

Powerplants at Grand Coulee Dam provide about one-quarter of the total generation of the Federal Columbia River Power System. Electricity generated at the Dam is transmitted throughout the Pacific Northwest by the Bonneville Power Administration which manages the massive delivery network system. Aside from hydropower production, the Grand Coulee Project provides water for 670,000 irrigated acres in the Columbia Basin Project, making it one of Reclamation’s largest and most valuable multipurpose projects. It is a major tourist attraction and a prime location all year for recreation on Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake.

Construction was started at Grand Coulee Dam in 1933, and completed in 1942. A special anniversary event is scheduled on July 25, 2008, to recognize the 75th Anniversary of the construction of Grand Coulee Dam.

Grand Coulee Website.