| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | June 23, 1930 |
| Dissolved | October 1, 1977 |
| Superseding agency | |
| Jurisdiction | U.S. government |
| Agency executive |
|
The Federal Power Commission (FPC) was an independent commission of the United States government, originally organized on June 23, 1930, with five members nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. The FPC was originally created in 1920 by the Federal Water Power Act, which provided for the licensing by the FPC of hydroelectric projects on the land or navigable water owned by the federal government. The FPC has since been replaced by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
The FPC also regulated interstate electric utilities and the natural gas industry.
In June 1939, President Roosevelt appointed Leland Olds to the FPC, who served as chairman from January 1940 until 1949. Under Olds’ leadership, the FPC successfully pressured electric utilities to extend power into neglected rural areas and to lower electricity rates to increase use. However his reappointment in 1949 failed in the Senate due to concerns about his suspected previous sympathy to communism.
James G. Watt was another prominent FPC commissioner, who conducted prayer meetings prior to the FPC sessions.