The
Natural Gas Act of 1938 was the first occurrence of the
United States federal government regulating the
natural gas industry. It was focused on regulating the rates charged by interstate natural gas transmission companies. In the years prior to the passage of the Act, concern arose about the
monopolistic tendencies of the transmission companies and the fact that they were charging higher than competitive prices. The passage of the Act gave the
Federal Power Commission (FPC) control over the regulation of interstate natural gas sales. Later on, the FPC was dissolved and became the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). FERC continues to regulate the natural gas industry to this day.