Two Southern New Mexico lawmakers who plan to introduce legislation in January imposing a statewide data center moratorium shared some of their thinking with their colleagues Tuesday.
In a presentation in Socorro before the interim Science, Technology and Telecommunications Committee, Reps. Angelica Rubio, D-Las Cruces, and Micaela Lara Cadena, D-Mesilla, emphasized transparency and environmental concerns raised by the Project Jupiter data center proposed near Santa Teresa.
They framed the moratorium, which they first floated in July, as a way to allow time to develop appropriate regulations and properly consult the community.
“What we are seeing in Doña Ana County — the lack of transparency, the lack of accountability, the red carpet that’s been rolled out for these corporations, despite the voices of the community members who have demanded input since well before the commission vote in September of 2025 — has been a level of betrayal that our constituents will never forget,” Rubio said.
“It is time, in our opinion, to pump the brakes on data centers in New Mexico,” she continued. “Project Jupiter and the way it has been forced on our communities is exactly the example of why this state needs a moratorium. We owe it to every community in New Mexico to make sure this never happens again.”
Republicans on the committee pushed back on the proposal. Rep. Joshua Hernandez, R-Rio Rancho, asked them where cat pictures will go — a bit of humor “because there’s a lot of tension in this room,” but a serious point about how society depends on data centers.
”The reality is, is that we’re not all going to have servers in our basements or our backyards, as cool as that could be in some areas,” he said. “So, are we really deciding whether that infrastructure, the jobs, the investment, the everything else that comes with it … is going to be built in New Mexico or just built somewhere else?”
Matt Dahlseid/New Mexican file photo
Data center moratoriums have been proliferating nationwide as controversy grows over the facilities.
So far Santa Fe, Socorro and Sierra counties have passed moratoriums.
Moratoriums have been proposed in numerous state legislatures nationwide, although most of them have stalled.
Lara Cadena said they are holding meetings to decide how to define a data center and how long the moratorium would last. She also raised concerns about Project Jupiter’s surroundings and workforce, describing her first impressions of the construction site.
”I realized that the first cluster of people that’s closest to Project Jupiter is those students at Santa Teresa High School,” she said. “So when we talk about emissions, or we talk about needing to know what exactly this heat bubble is going to do. It’s not in the abstract. These are young people.”
New Mexican file photo
Lara Cadena also questioned who was working on-site.
”I go into these parking lots and there’s not a single New Mexican license plate,” Lara Cadena said. “They’re not New Mexicans on that construction site, and they’re not union jobs.”
Leaders from the companies behind Project Jupiter promised to release their first jobs report to the county July 31, which would clarify whether the data center is providing career opportunities for locals. The county has yet to provide The New Mexican with a copy of the report.
Sen. Jay Block, R-Rio Rancho, expressed concerns about the economic impact of a moratorium.
Daniel J. Chacón/New Mexican file photo
“Did you conduct a formal economic impact analysis of what this moratorium would do to the state of New Mexico in regards to lost capital investment, construction jobs [and] tax revenue over the duration of the pause?” he asked.
Lara Cadena and Rubio replied the legislation is evolving and said they would consult with the parties and conduct any necessary analysis before the 2027 legislative session starts in January.
