Grant County residents raise alarm over secretive proposed data center
Grant County residents are organizing against a proposed data center by Site Layer 1, LLC, raising concerns about its environmental impact and the lack of transparency in the development process. A Grant County Commissioner is proposing a one-year moratorium on data centers, while state regulators have also urged developers to improve community engagement.
Residents of Grant County, New Mexico, have begun organizing in opposition to a proposed data center by Site Layer 1, LLC, after a legal notice appeared in the Silver City Daily Press on August 27. The project, planned for the rural southern edge of the county near Hachita and Playas, has sparked significant community outcry over its secretive development process and potential ecological footprint.
Allyson Siwik, executive director of the Gila Resources Information Project, highlighted concerns about transparency, noting that little information beyond the public notice is available. The community's swift response has drawn the attention of state regulators, with New Mexico Environment Department Cabinet Secretary James Kenney emailing the potential applicants to state that their initial air quality permit application notice, while meeting minimum requirements, constituted "insufficient community engagement for a data center project." Kenney urged developers to significantly bolster their local outreach efforts and to provide details of their meetings with officials and community leaders.
Grant County Commissioner Nancy Stephens is proposing a one-year data center moratorium, mirroring a recent ordinance in Socorro County, with plans to introduce it to the commission's September 24 agenda. This comes as other counties, including Sierra and Santa Fe, have passed similar moratoriums. Environmental groups, including the Center for Biological Diversity, expressed alarm over the lack of prior discussions with local politicians or public announcements regarding the facility.
Investigations by Schulke and Siwik revealed that Site Layer 1, LLC's contact address leads to an empty office in Manhattan, the same address listed for multibillion-dollar investment firm Corner Venture Capital. Further tracing through SEC filings connected similarly named projects (Site Layer 2 in Colorado and Site Layer 4 in Wyoming) to David Katz, director of legal for Corner Venture Capital, and to Granite Renewables, a company also cited by Lawrence Hurt of Hurt Cattle Co. Ranch, the proposed site owner. The facility is projected to consume 2.3 million cubic feet of natural gas per hour and generate annual carbon emissions equivalent to 282,600 cars, raising concerns from the NMED despite their current lack of authority to regulate greenhouse gases. Water usage, though not specified in the notice, is estimated to be substantial, with no application for water rights yet filed.