Monday, May 5, marks Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day, which seeks to bring attention to the MMIP cause and advocate against the disproportionate violence experienced by American Indian and Alaska Native people.  

MMIP Awareness Day will feature many important events and gatherings, especially in western states where the highest concentrations of Indigenous people live.  

Events in New Mexico will include a remembrance ceremony and art project in Albuquerque, as well as a rally in Farmington. In Arizona, advocates will gather over the weekend in Phoenix and elsewhere around the state.  

Advocacy will continue across western states all week with a National Week of Action, which will help drive national awareness of the crisis, elevate Indigenous voices, support important legislation, and strengthen advocacy efforts across Indian Country. Supporters are invited to wear red in support of the MMIP cause and join their communities to uplift the voices and stories of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People and their relatives.  

Western Governors, recognizing the gravity of the MMIP crisis, have developed bipartisan policy on the issue, which can be found here. The Governors’ policy resolution calls for adequate support and funding across three key areas: law enforcement resources, support services, and collaboration across jurisdictions and different levels of government.  

Recent actions in multiple western states highlight important steps toward addressing the MMIP crisis.  

In New Mexico, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed a bill last month to create a “turquoise alert” specifically designed for missing Indigenous people. The system works similarly to the well-known amber alert system, and it will allow law enforcement to quickly share information through cell phone alerts, social media, and highway signs when an Indigenous person is reported missing.  

A similar bill to create a new alert system is making its way through the Arizona Legislature with broad support.  

Other states, like Colorado, Washington, and California have similar systems for locating missing Indigenous people. In the case of Colorado, the alert has been successful in locating missing people since it was launched, according to an NPR report. Western Governors specifically support the creation of MMIP alert systems in their bipartisan policy statement.  

At the federal level, the U.S. Justice Department announced that it will send FBI resources to Indigenous communities across the country to assist with unresolved crimes and MMIP cases. 60 FBI personnel will rotate around the country in an effort to address crime in Indian Country in what’s being called “Operation Not Forgotten.” In the West, the FBI will assist field offices in New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arizona, Oregon, and Washington.  

Additionally, the Bureau of Indian Affairs recently launched a national initiative to use forensic technology to help solve Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons cases.  

To engage with Western Governors’ policy on the MMIP crisis, click here. Learn more about MMIP Awareness Day here.  

Governors sign nuclear MOU: on Tuesday, Utah Governor Spencer Cox, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon, and Idaho Governor Brad Little signed a Memorandum of Understanding to pursue regional collaboration on energy policy.  

The signing took place at Governor Cox’s nuclear energy summit in Draper, Utah, as part of his “Built Here” strategic plan.

The MOU is based on the understanding that “the three states share a unique geographic and economic landscape rich in energy resources, including fossil fuels, renewable energy sources, and the critical minerals essential for modern energy systems; and the States also participate in a common energy market, face common challenges related to energy production and distribution, grid reliability amid rising demand, environmental and economic impacts of energy transition, and volatile federal regulatory priorities.” 

Read more about the agreement here.  

Fentanyl Awareness Day: Tuesday, April 29 marked Fentanyl Awareness Day as community organizations, law enforcement agencies, public health professionals, and Governors took the day to recognize the impact that fentanyl has had on communities across the country.  

In Idaho, Governor Brad Little visited the Idaho State Police Forensics Laboratory to bring attention to his state’s fight against fentanyl. Additionally, agencies across the West like the New Mexico Department of Health helped spread information and resources about the dangers of fentanyl.  

For more on the Governors’ perspective on this issue, read Western Governors’ bipartisan policy resolution, Combating the Opioid Crisis.  

Wildfire fighting fleet: in preparation for wildfire season, states are stocking up on the most effective firefighting equipment and technologies to protect communities from catastrophic fires. 

In California, Governor Gavin Newsom recently announced that the state added a second C-130 Hercules airtanker to its firefighting fleet. Last year, California became the first state to own, operate, and deploy the C-130H airtanker for fire suppression, and it plans to eventually add five more of the aircraft.  

In Wyoming, the state’s National Guard Base in Cheyenne has been selected to host C-130J air tankers, the largest high-tech air tanker from Lockheed Martin. The base will be home to eight C-130J tankers by 2028 to boost the state’s firefighting capabilities.  

Gov runs marathon: in Oklahoma City last week, Governor Kevin Stitt ran his annual Governor’s Relay Challenge at the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. The Governor invited quarter marathon relay teams to race against his team, with any team that beats him receiving an “I Beat the Gov” T-shirt.  

This year’s race encouraged Oklahomans to embrace fitness, personal responsibility, and stronger, healthier families across the state.  

“There’s nothing like the camaraderie, energy, and purpose of the Memorial Marathon,” said Governor Stitt. “This is my seventh year doing the Relay Challenge, and it’s an honor to run alongside so many Oklahomans who are passionate about honoring the victims, survivors, and first responders of April 19, 1995 — and to do it in a way that also promotes a healthier Oklahoma.” 

Clean steel startup: the Colorado-based startup Electra is winning over investors as it pursues a green technique to transform iron ore into pure iron using electric arc furnaces rather than coal-fired blast furnaces.  

Electra’s method, known as electrowinning, is already used to purify other metals such as copper, nickel, and zinc, and it could be a gamechanger for producing purified iron at scale without emissions. Steelmaking currently accounts for 7% to 9% of global greenhouse gas emissions, largely related to the use of high-temp blast furnaces.  

Electra has won investments from major players in the steelmaking and steel buying business, including the steelmaker Nucor and the supplier to Toyota Motor Corp, according to reporting from Canary Media.