1933: Creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority

Before 1933, the Tennessee Valley had been subject to floods, erosion, and economic weakness, and it grew yet weaker due to emigration.

The valley largely lies inside Tennessee, but it reaches over into other states as well.

But that year, President Roosevelt signed off on the creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority, a governmental organization basically created to solve the various natural issues the valley encountered, especially through the construction of dams. These dams were necessary for three reasons:

1. They had the capability to create electric power on a relatively very cheap scale
2. They could control flooding, therefore protecting residents in and around the valley
3. Navigation could be improved with the control of the dams

They also concerned themselves with reforesting and the actual provision of energy to homes and businesses.

The Tennessee Valley Authority's unique approach can be seen in the way that they chose not only to regulate the affairs of the people, build dams and plant trees, but also to educate farmers. Seeing that the soil of the valley had been destroyed by erosion, they decided that the most effective way to solve the problem was to educate farmers on how to schedule crop plantings and harvests more effectively.

The TVA is unique today in that it is the largest public power company in the U.S., but it was unique at the time for a different reason -- it's the first time that any agency was created to approach the needs of an entire region in such a holistic manner.

Up until then, in part due to the way that states and the national government were organized, an authority designed to handle the unique issues of a region like that shown above -- which is based purely on practical geography -- would not have sprung up, but Roosevelt's New Deal (this act alone passed in his first 100 days) would change traditional ideas about what government agencies could and should be.

The TVA's role has changed to fit the times. Today, for example, they maintan the Sequoyah Nuclear Power Plant in Tennessee as one of many power-related operations surrounding the river.

Sources:
https://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=65
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1653.html