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Residents press El Paso council for binding protections as Meta talks proceed
Summary
Speakers at the June 23 El Paso City Council meeting urged the council to require legally binding, enforceable protections — including penalties and water trusts — in any community agreement with Meta’s hyperscale data center, while council altered item language to remove the word “benefits” and change “negotiate” to “coordinate.”
At a packed June 23 City Council session, residents and organizers urged El Paso leaders to demand legally binding protections and clear penalties from Meta as the city coordinates a community agreement tied to a nearby hyperscale data center.
“Item 35 acknowledges these concerns, but acknowledgement and somewhat action isn't enough,” said Marco Sanchez, acting president of the El Paso Youth Alliance, urging council to “strengthen it, expand it” so that residents near the project have real input. Multiple speakers described noise, dust and traffic impacts already being felt near the site and warned of risks to water supplies, local electricity systems and public health.
Veronica Carbajal, an organizer with the San Brano Esperanza Coalition, told the council that any meaningful agreement must be legally binding, include specific penalties, match known and unknown harms from the data center and direct financial commitments “to those most impacted, including residents near the data center, both in New Mexico and in El Paso.” Carbajal said activists had delivered a letter to Meta asking for a $10,000,000,000 trust for water.
Saul Gonzales, an organizer and resident of District 3, pressed whether any agreement would be binding and enforceable. “Will there be clear penalties if Meta fails to fulfill its commitments?” he asked, adding that many organizers prefer outright cancellation of the earlier “3 80” agreement rather than acceptance of weak terms.
On the dais, Representative Trejo explained changes the council made to the consent-language tied to this agenda series. “The reason for the change is we don't want it to open up anything with the previous 3 80 agreement,” she said, describing a revision that removed the word “benefits” and replaced “negotiate” with “coordinate” so the item would not be read as reopening the earlier contract.
Council approved the revised consent agenda unanimously, including the updated wording. Public commenters continued to press for a Community Agreement that is binding, financially substantial, and controlled by residents most affected — demands they said have not yet been satisfied by prior agreements or private-sector commitments.
The council did not adopt a final agreement on June 23. Staff were directed (as the revised item says) to coordinate with the city manager and city attorney and with other entities to move forward, leaving open whether the ultimate document will include the binding penalties and funding levels some residents demanded.
