The New Mexico legislature is expected to be asked next year to adopt a moratorium on new data center development in the state.
Four Democratic state lawmakers say they will introduce such legislation to be considered when legislators gather in January, 2027.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports that the four legislators want to stop development of “large-scale” data centers and they legislators include Reps. Micaela Lara Cadena, D-Mesilla; Angelica Rubio, D-Las Cruces; Eleanor Chávez, D-Albuquerque, and Sen. Carrie Hamblen, D-Las Cruces.
The lawmakers said the moratorium is necessary while the state develops standards to evaluate issues such as water and energy use, emissions and the impact on ratepayers’ utilities.
Project Jupiter, a massive artificial intelligence data center in development near Santa Teresa, has drawn controversy over the air pollution and climate-warming emissions it would create. After an initial attempt to get an air quality permit from the state prompted pushback, project developers retooled plans to power the data center campus to shift from natural gas turbines to natural gas fuel cells, which would require less water and decrease emissions.
