Dona Ana County publishes notice for Project Jupiter hearing as residents raise water, air and health concerns

Dona Ana County commissioners on Sept. 9 authorized publication of a notice of hearing under the Local Economic Development Act to consider reduced permit fees for Project Jupiter, a proposed large data center and microgrid project that has drawn sustained community opposition.

Project Jupiter supporters and opponents have held public information sessions in the region. At the commission meeting, multiple residents and local advocates urged the county to reject the project or require more study and stronger guarantees for community protections. Daisy Maldonado, director of the Empowerment Congress, told the commission that "those claims are not facts," saying the companies’ economic promises were unproven and that Project Jupiter’s proposals may ask New Mexicans to give land, water and tax breaks while others take the profit.

Why it matters: Project Jupiter would be built in the county’s southern industrial area near Santa Teresa and Sunland Park. Residents and community groups told the commission they fear long‑term impacts on an area already facing water quality and…