NM Supreme Court asked to halt Project Jupiter water use after emergency petition filed
An environmental group has filed an emergency petition with the New Mexico Supreme Court, seeking to halt water usage for Project Jupiter, a data center in Santa Teresa. The group alleges that the state engineer improperly approved an emergency replacement well without public notice or a hearing, leading to over 103 million gallons of water being pumped since April. The petition aims to declare the authorization illegal and stop water diversions.
The Center for Biological Diversity has filed an emergency petition with the New Mexico Supreme Court, urging it to halt water usage for the construction of Project Jupiter, a data center located in Santa Teresa. The environmental group alleges that the state engineer improperly authorized an emergency replacement well for Santa Teresa Capital, which operates on behalf of Project Jupiter, without adhering to state requirements for public notice and a hearing.
Colin Cox, a senior attorney at the Climate Law Institute Center for Biological Diversity, stated that Project Jupiter has already pumped over 103 million gallons of freshwater from the illegally authorized well since April. He argued that this constitutes a depletion of New Mexico's already strained freshwater supplies, especially given the ongoing drought conditions and minimal snowmelt. The petition seeks a declaration that the authorization is illegal and a halt to all water diversions until state requirements are met.
KFOX14/CBS4 has contacted Oracle, identified as the company behind Project Jupiter, for comment on the matter.