NM State Ethics Commission files lawsuit against group behind Project Jupiter ads

New Mexico's Ethics Commission has initiated a lawsuit against Elevate New Mexico, a Virginia-based corporation, alleging violations of the state's Lobbyist Regulation Act. The lawsuit claims that Elevate New Mexico failed to comply with disclosure requirements while campaigning for 'Project Jupiter,' a controversial multi-billion-dollar AI data center development in Doña Ana County. The commission asserts that Elevate New Mexico acted as an unregistered lobbyist by pushing state leaders to approve permits for Project Jupiter, which has faced significant environmental pushback. The core of the complaint is that the corporation did not disclose information regarding the funding sources behind its ad campaign, as required by law. The New Mexico Ethics Commission is seeking a judge's order to compel Elevate New Mexico to reveal this financial information.