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New Mexico Supreme Court halts Project Jupiter air permit process
The New Mexico Supreme Court has issued a temporary stay on the air quality permit proceedings for Project Jupiter, a data center campus under construction by Oracle and OpenAI in Doña Ana County.
In addition to halting the air permit hearing, the court ordered the State Engineer's Office to suspend the use of specific water wells for the project's construction. The legal intervention follows challenges from advocacy groups, including New Energy Economy and the New Mexico Environmental Law Center, who argued that scheduled hearings were premature and lacked sufficient time for expert testimony.
Separately, the appointed hearing officer, Max Shepherd, recused himself from the case following allegations of bias toward the New Mexico Environment Department and the project's developers, Oracle and Yucca Grown Infrastructure. The New Mexico Environment Department stated it will appoint a new hearing officer once the court lifts the stay.
Entities
New Mexico Environment Department · New Mexico Supreme Court · OpenAI · Oracle · Project Jupiter
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 2 SOURCES] The court ordered a suspension of water well drilling for the data center's water use. diario.mx · kvia.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The New Mexico Supreme Court issued a temporary stay on the air quality permit hearing for Project Jupiter. www.ksfr.org · diario.mx · kvia.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The gas pipeline intended to supply fuel to the fuel cell system lacks the necessary authorization for construction. diario.mx
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The New Mexico Environmental Law Center filed a motion alleging bias by hearing officer Max Shepherd toward the NMED and developers Oracle and Yucca Grown Infrastructure. kvia.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Hearing officer Max Shepherd recused himself from the air quality permit case. kvia.com