Dona Ana County meeting on Project Jupiter data center disrupted by protests, arrests

A Dona Ana County Commission meeting meant to provide an update on the proposed Project Jupiter data center in Santa Teresa was interrupted by protests from opponents who said they were not given a chance to speak. Tensions rose before Project Jupiter representatives took the floor. After the county commission ended public comment, several attendees who oppose the project continued shouting that they had not been allowed to address commissioners. Commission Chairman Manuel Sanchez warned the crowd, “If you continue to interrupt, I will have to ask you to leave. I’ve been warning.” Several people were escorted out of the meeting room. Some were placed in handcuffs after refusing to leave. Many of those removed were part of the Stop Project Jupiter movement, which says people living near the data center were unable to address county commissioners. “People who deal with this on a day-to-day basis don’t get to speak when they’re (Dona Ana County Commissioners) the ones that make the decisions that affect their lives directly,” said Alberto del Campo of Stop Project Jupiter. After public comment, Project Jupiter representatives presented information about the proposed data center, including projected jobs, water use and environmental impacts. But critics said they left with questions they have been asking for months. “It’s just been very basic questions that we’ve been asking, like how much water, how many jobs, how many New Mexico jobs and the CO2 emissions,” said Sierra Edmister of Stop Project Jupiter. Others said they remain concerned about whether the project’s economic benefits outweigh its environmental impact. “I am here because I’m very concerned about Project Jupiter... if we don’t have quality air, if we don’t have water, what is the point of having good jobs?” said Ana Rodriguez of Stop Project Jupiter. Project Jupiter representatives said the data center will bring economic opportunities to the region, while critics said they still have concerns about the project’s impact on the community. On Tuesday, KFOX14/CBS4 spoke with Julia Robin, the global head of infrastructure planning for Oracle, a company tied to the project, who said that due to new technology, the data center will dramatically reduce its emissions, giving the company confidence ahead of its air quality permit review. Robin said a key area of discussion has been Oracle's plan to use Bloom fuel cells as part of the project's power system. "So yeah, so we originally had a gas turbine plant solution for the power plant," Robin said. "It consumed quite a bit of water." However, plans changed, and the project's power system was redesigned after receiving community feedback, Robin said, and so they moved away from a gas turbine plant to a Bloom fuel cell approach. Robin emphasized this new approach uses very little water and has a low emissions profile. "It’s in many circumstances up to a 90% reduction in emissions relative to that prior plan," Robin said. "Overall it's more of an electrochemical process rather than a burning that you would see with a traditional gas turbine.” A public hearing for the air quality permit with the New Mexico Environment Department is scheduled for Oct. 19 STORIES: https://kfoxtv.com/news/local/what-happens-next-for-project-jupiter-after-dona-ana-meeting-erupts-in-protest-and-arrests https://kfoxtv.com/news/local/santa-teresas-project-jupiter-touts-low-water-use-emissions-ahead-of-air-permit-hearing Hit the subscribe button to stay up-to-date on the latest news, and turn on the notifications to get alerted when the big stories break as we bring them to you live! For all the full stories seen here, go to KFOXTV.com. Follow KFOX14 on our other social media pages for more photos, videos and reports: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KFOXTV Twitter: https://twitter.com/KFOX14 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kfox14news/ If you see something newsworthy happen, or you just witness something incredible, hilarious or adorable, you can send your videos, photos and news tips to KFOXTV.com/chimein. We love sharing our favorites on KFOXTV.com, our social media and our broadcasts! You can also email a news tips, or call our newsroom. Email: elpaso-assignmentsdesk@sbgtv.com Call the Newsroom: 915-845-5369 _______________ KFOX14 is an El Paso-based station and a FOX Television affiliate owned and operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group. Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. is one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies in the country today. Sinclair owns and operates programs or provides sales services to nearly 200 television stations in 86 markets. Sinclair's television group reaches close to 40% of US television households and includes FOX, ABC, MyTV, CW, CBS, NBC, Univision and Azteca affiliates