Teresa Leger Fernández Calls for New Mexico Data Center Pause
- Teresa Leger Fernández called for a pause on data centers in New Mexico on Thursday, releasing a set of standards that developments should meet before receiving approval.
- Project Jupiter has encountered numerous regulatory hurdles since breaking ground.
- Under the proposed guidelines titled the No Blank Checks for Data Centers Principles, Leger Fernández asserted that tech companies must satisfy strict criteria to operate in New Mexico.
U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández called for a pause on data centers in New Mexico on Thursday, releasing a set of standards that developments should meet before receiving approval. The announcement from the New Mexico Democrat follows mounting legal challenges and community scrutiny surrounding tech giant Oracle’s Project Jupiter, a massive data center currently under construction in the southern part of the state.
Oracle’s Project Jupiter Faces Delays and Regulatory Scrutiny
Project Jupiter has encountered numerous regulatory hurdles since breaking ground. Last week, the New Mexico State Ethics Commission reported that Oracle spent more than $3.4 million in recent months on advertisements designed to influence the New Mexico Environment Department’s air quality permitting process for the data center. Following that notification, Oracle stock dropped 4%. These developments arrive as state lawmakers prepare to consider a formal data center moratorium during the upcoming legislative session. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland, who has previously received campaign contributions from Oracle, stated she would sign an executive order implementing such a moratorium on her first day in office if elected.
Proposed Standards and the Call for Artificial Intelligence Oversight
Under the proposed guidelines titled the No Blank Checks for Data Centers Principles, Leger Fernández asserted that tech companies must satisfy strict criteria to operate in New Mexico. Developers must prove that facilities will not drive up electricity bills or strain local water supplies, and they must comply with state renewable energy mandates. The principles also require projects to create well-paying union jobs, secure community approval, and proceed without taxpayer subsidies.
The role of government is to protect us from greedy corporations. Data centers want our water, our land, and our power. Communities may want the jobs they could bring to New Mexico. But we will not give them a blank check.
U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández Leger Fernández connected the pushback against data centers to a broader demand for federal oversight of artificial intelligence. She stated that society cannot allow AI and data center infrastructure to regulate themselves. Senior reporter Joshua Bowling contributed reporting to this story.