Missouri River Energy Services (MRES) was formed in the early 1960s under the name Missouri Basin Municipal Power Agency (MBMPA). Its mission was to help municipalities that operated their own electric systems to work together in planning for future power supply needs and solving other mutual problems. The name was changed to Missouri River Energy Services in 1998, but the organization's mission remains the same. MRES was the first multi-state joint-action agency, and the third overall, to be established in the United States.