New Mexico Lawmakers Discuss Proposed Statewide Data Center Moratorium
New Mexico Democratic lawmakers proposed a statewide data center moratorium for the 2027 legislative session, citing concerns over energy consumption and the approval process for projects like Project Jupiter in Doña Ana County. Critics emphasize the need for guardrails around development, while Republicans on the interim committee called for a study on economic impact.
New Mexico Democratic lawmakers, including Reps. Micaela Lara Cadena and Angelica Rubio, proposed a statewide data center moratorium during an interim Science, Technology and Telecommunications Committee meeting in Socorro. The lawmakers envision introducing formal legislation for the moratorium in the 2027 legislative session, seeking to define which types of data centers it would apply to and its duration.
The proposal stems from concerns regarding data center development, which Rep. Rubio compared to other extractive industries. They cited "Project Jupiter," a data center campus under construction in southern New Mexico's Doña Ana County, as a particular point of contention. The lawmakers highlighted multiple ongoing lawsuits that accuse Doña Ana County officials of violating the state's Open Meetings Act during the approval of Project Jupiter and the issuance of $165 billion in industrial revenue bonds.
Republican lawmakers on the committee, such as Rep. Joshua Hernandez, voiced skepticism, urging a study on the potential economic and job growth impacts of a moratorium. In response, Reps. Lara Cadena and Rubio clarified the distinction between cloud storage data centers and hyperscale AI data centers, which often propose constructing their own electric grids, underscoring the need to carefully define "data centers" for regulatory purposes.