Data center pause offers time to create safeguards

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland has proposed a statewide moratorium on large-scale data centers in New Mexico, to be enacted via executive order if she is elected. This pause would allow the Legislature time to establish "guardrails" for data center development, focusing on requirements such as renewable energy infrastructure to prevent utility rate hikes, the use of "best available technology" for water conservation, and the creation of union jobs prioritizing New Mexicans. Haaland's initiative comes amidst significant public backlash against data centers, particularly Oracle's "Project Jupiter" in Southern New Mexico, which has already prompted county-level moratoriums, including in Santa Fe.

The article notes an irony in Haaland's stance, as she has received substantial campaign donations from the tech industry, including Oracle. Her Republican opponent, Gregg Hull, opposes a statewide moratorium, advocating for local decision-making while supporting laws to protect taxpayers from increased costs. Critics argue that leaving decisions solely to local governments is problematic due to the wider environmental impacts of data centers, such as air emissions and water usage, which affect the entire state.

Project Jupiter, a multi-billion-dollar hyperscale data center, has drawn particular ire due to its projected annual air emissions of 10 million tons of greenhouse gases, exceeding the combined emissions of Las Cruces, Santa Fe, and Albuquerque. The project's air emissions permit process, which was temporarily stalled by lawsuits, is now moving forward following a recent New Mexico Supreme Court ruling. The article suggests that current Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham could enact an immediate statewide moratorium via executive order, or the Legislature could convene an extraordinary session to pass its own measure, thereby ensuring robust data center policies for the state's future.