New Mexico Voters Oppose Data Centers, Supreme Court Rejects Project Jupiter Permitting Request
A new poll reveals that 65% of New Mexico voters oppose large data center developments and 75% support a statewide moratorium to study their impacts and establish regulations. This comes as the New Mexico Supreme Court rejected an attempt by Yucka Growth Infrastructure, developers of Project Jupiter in Santa Teresa for Oracle and OpenAI, to restart part of its air quality permitting process.
A recent Journal poll indicates widespread concern among New Mexico voters regarding the proliferation of large-scale data centers. The survey found that 65% of respondents oppose such developments, with only 20% in favor. Support for a statewide moratorium to assess the local impacts and establish regulations for data centers was even higher, at 75%.
These poll results surface amidst ongoing developments and legal challenges for major projects in the state, including Project Jupiter in Santa Teresa, a controversial campus planned for Oracle and OpenAI. The New Mexico Supreme Court recently rejected a bid by Project Jupiter's developers, Yucka Growth Infrastructure, to expedite part of the air quality permitting process. The company sought to lift a stay and advance pre-hearing filings ahead of a scheduled September 14th hearing on an on-site power facility that would utilize methane-powered fuel cells.
Clean Energy Group New Energy Economy opposed the developers' request, citing the absence of an approved route for a natural gas pipeline crucial for delivering up to 400 million cubic feet of gas daily. The Supreme Court's unanimous denial leaves the stay in place as it continues to review the permitting proceedings, though the court is not ruling on the merits of the permit itself. Concerns surrounding data centers include their substantial electricity and water demands, as well as potential emissions from proposed on-site power generation facilities.