On Dec. 21, 1977, high gas prices and an emphasis on conservation led Congress to create the Department of Energy, including Western Area Power Administration—a new agency to sell and deliver hydropower across 15 central and western states.
Our nation still has some of these same concerns, as well as new energy industry issues that are cropping up every day. This makes WAPA's mission of delivering clean, renewable energy all the more crucial to meeting today's energy demands.
Learn more about WAPA's history and the history of the utility industry:
35 years: "A time of exponential change"
30 years: "Looking back and looking ahead" 25 years: "Serving the West: WAPA's First 25 years as a Power Marketing Agency"