Protesters rally at NMED office over Project Jupiter air quality permit, secrecy
News ClipThe Daily Lobo·Santa Fe, Santa Fe County, NM·8/24/2026
Over 100 protesters gathered in Santa Fe, New Mexico, outside the New Mexico Environment Department office, urging the NMED not to approve an air quality permit for "Project Jupiter." This project would involve building power-generation microgrids to supply 2.45 gigawatts of electricity for AI infrastructure. Protesters raised concerns about air quality, water usage, and the impact of the data center development.
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Gov: New Mexico Environment Department
On Friday, Aug. 21, over 100 protesters gathered outside the New Mexico Environment Department building in Santa Fe, urging NMED not to approve the air quality permit application for Project Jupiter, which would allow the construction of two power-generation microgrids needed to create 2.45 gigawatts of electricity for AI infrastructure. ;
Members of Youth United for Climate Crisis Action led the demonstration, during which residents from across New Mexico came carrying signs with phrases such as “Our children can’t drink data,” “Water is for living beings, not for Project Jupiter” and chanting “We need clean air, not another billionaire.”  ; ; ;