By Julia Goldberg | Editor-in-Chief
Good morning, folks. It’s Wednesday, and mid-week brings a slew of news on hot topics, including the ongoing turmoil in New Mexico over data centers. Below, you’ll find the latest on Project Jupiter, along with stories on state Republicans’ push for a special legislative session and residents’ pushback against proposed uranium mining in the Cibola National Forest. More stories to read and more on the way at sourcenm.com. Thanks for being here.
Aerial photos taken on June 26, 2026, show the construction site for Project Jupiter, the Oracle and OpenAI data center project planned for southern New Mexico. (Photo courtesy of Alexa Reynaud, Food & Water Watch, with aerial support provided by LightHawk)
New Mexico Environment Department to hold hearing for Project Jupiter data center air quality permit
Source senior reporter Joshua Bowling reports the New Mexico Environment Department will hold a public hearing on the pending air quality permit application for data center Project Jupiter, following high public interest and complaints from residents — including some elected officials — that their names were used on supportive public comments without their consent.
Residents brought anti-data center signs to the Socorro County Board of Commissioners’ June 9, 2026, meeting ahead of a vote on a yearlong data center moratorium. (Photo by Jessica Carranza Pino/El Defensor Chieftain)
Climate advocacy org urges New Mexico leaders to adopt data center moratorium
Also on the data center front, climate advocacy organization Food and Water Watch on Tuesday published a report urging New Mexico lawmakers to adopt a data center moratorium, citing high levels of estimated air pollution and water usage. Last week, several Democratic state lawmakers announced they intend to introduce such legislation in next year’s session. Several local governments, most recently Santa Fe County, have already passed moratoriums on data centers.
Three New Mexico House Republicans on Tuesday urged Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to convene lawmakers to eliminate the state’s personal income tax. (Photo by Patrick Lohmann/Source NM)
NM House Republicans urge Gov. Lujan Grisham to hold special session to eliminate state income tax
Three New Mexico House Republican leaders on Tuesday called on Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to convene lawmakers to eliminate the state’s personal income tax, which they said will provide more lasting economic relief to residents than the governor’s recently proposed $250 rebate.
NovaCore Exploration Inc. is seeking a state agency’s permission to conduct exploratory uranium drilling at the above sites near Datil, according to a permit application it filed in late June 2026. (Image courtesy NovaCore)
Catron County residents mobilize against ‘massive’ uranium mine proposal in Cibola National Forest
Source’s Patrick Lohmann reports Catron County residents and a New Mexico environmentalist group say they are mobilizing opposition after a uranium company recently sought state and federal approval to begin exploratory uranium mining in a swath of Cibola National Forest.
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We're reading Rebecca Solnit’s London Review of Books’ essay on Cochiti Pueblo artist Virgil Ortiz’s exhibition Continuum: Blindfall, First Strike, currently at the Vladem Contemporary branch of the New Mexico Museum of Art in Santa Fe.
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