Data Center Moratorium Blue Ribbon Committee to be announced
Socorro County, New Mexico, is forming a 15-member Blue Ribbon Committee to evaluate data centers and their supporting infrastructure. This committee will provide non-binding recommendations to the county board two months before an existing one-year data center moratorium expires. Citizens have been protesting the proposed data center project.
Socorro County, New Mexico, is establishing a 15-member Blue Ribbon Committee to assess data centers and their associated infrastructure. Socorro County Manager Joe Chavez announced that 15 individuals would be selected from 35 applicants to serve on the committee, with an initial meeting planned to nominate a chair.
The committee's formation follows a unanimous vote by the county commission on June 9 to enact a one-year moratorium on data center development. The committee is tasked with studying a range of issues, including water usage and rights, energy infrastructure, public safety, subdivision standards, and environmental and community impacts. Its recommendations, which will be non-binding, are due at least two months before the moratorium's expiration. Citizens have already expressed opposition, holding signs in protest of a proposed data center project in the area.