NM senators demand answers on Project Jupiter data center, organize community meeting
Four New Mexico state senators are demanding answers and organizing a public meeting regarding the Oracle/OpenAI "Project Jupiter" data center in Santa Teresa, Doña Ana County. They are criticizing county and state leaders for a lack of transparency and public engagement, particularly concerning environmental impacts. The lawmakers are also urging the state Environment Department to deny an air quality permit for the project, citing significant greenhouse gas emissions.
Four Democratic members of the New Mexico Senate representing Doña Ana County—Sens. Carrie Hamblen, Bill Soules, Joe Cervantes, and Jeff Steinborn—convened a news conference and rally in Las Cruces to address transparency and environmental concerns surrounding the Oracle/OpenAI data center complex, known as Project Jupiter. The lawmakers criticized Doña Ana County leaders for backing out of a promised public listening session in June and announced they would host their own public meeting at New Mexico State University's Las Cruces campus in August.
The Project Jupiter development, located in Santa Teresa and spanning over 1,200 acres, includes four data centers and microgrid power generation facilities, with initial operations expected by the end of 2026. Senator Steinborn specifically urged the New Mexico Environment Department to deny an air quality permit sought by the developer, Yucca Growth, citing estimated annual greenhouse gas emissions of 10.1 million tons, which he stated is equivalent to 75% of the state's entire electric carbon emissions. Steinborn and Soules also announced intentions to press for legislation to tighten microgrid regulations and oversight, arguing that the state's 2025 microgrid law allows data centers to bypass renewable energy requirements.
Senator Cervantes expressed concerns that the project's location in the state's southernmost county was a deliberate choice to minimize accountability and public scrutiny. Separately, Oracle responded to reports of fraudulent public comments supporting the project, denying any involvement by their canvassers and reiterating their commitment to a transparent public process. Despite Oracle's recent announcement of lower-polluting fuel cell technology, the permit application's estimated pollution figures remain a key point of contention for the senators and community opponents.