The New Mexico Supreme Court has temporarily halted the air-permitting process for Project Jupiter. The controversial Oracle and OpenAI data center project in Southern New Mexico has been the topic of debate and protests since construction started months ago.
The air quality permit has been at the center of much of that debate. Estimates show that Project Jupiter could emit more greenhouse gases than Albuquerque, Las Cruces and Santa Fe combined. An air quality hearing was originally scheduled for October 19. But the New Mexico Environment Department moved the hearing date up a month after Oracle met with Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. Numerous fraudulent public comments in favor of approving Project Jupiter's air quality permit caused the NMED to overhaul its comment portal.
The Sunday night decision came just two days after residents from around the state held a rally opposed to Project Jupiter outside the NMED offices in Santa Fe.
The Supreme Court decision comes after advocacy group New Energy Economy requested the court to pause the permit proceedings. The group's executive director, Mariel Nanasi said in a statement that ,"speed, money and political power do not outrank political process." Nanasi went on to say that the public cannot be kept in the dark while Project Jupiter races toward a permit.
