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Abstract
The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was created by Congress in 1887 under the Interstate Commerce Act. The primary responsibilities of the ICC were to control competition and stabilize rates for a then monopolistic rail industry. The ICC's responsibilities were later extended to motor carrier, barge, and airline industries.
In recent decades the ICC has undergone reform in its regulation of the transportation industry. The process of converting the transportation industry's highly regulated environment to a deregulated, competitive market, is the product of several legislatively enacted administrations and ICC members.
As a new administration takes office, it is important to understand the evolution of the ICC and the administration's influence on ICC operations. Powers allowing the President and the Senate's Surface Transportation Subcommittee to approve nominations for the ICC provide the most visible opportunity for influencing the ICC's philosophy and actions, and thus the regulatory environment for the transportation industry.
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