New Mexico State Ethics Commission says Oracle’s $3.4M Project Jupiter ads sought to sway permitting

By Joshua Bowling | Senior Reporter

Good morning, everyone. It’s Thursday. The New Mexico State Ethics Commission announced yesterday that tech giant Oracle embarked on what is “likely” the largest lobbying campaign ever disclosed in New Mexico with advertisements that sought to sway regulators presiding over Project Jupiter’s pending air quality permit hearing. We have the latest development on that front, as well as a look at cleanup efforts at a New Mexico lake that’s logged some of the highest levels of “forever chemical” contamination ever recorded and a new minor political party’s appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. You’ll find these stories below, with many more to come today at sourcenm.com.

New Mexico State Ethics Commission says Oracle’s $3.4M Project Jupiter ads sought to sway permitting

The New Mexico State Ethics Commission on Wednesday said that the tech giant Oracle spent more than $3.4 million in recent months on advertisements meant to influence the New Mexico Environment Department’s air quality permitting process for the Project Jupiter data center. The commission said it was “likely the largest lobbying advertising campaign ever disclosed in New Mexico."

Some New Mexico agencies improved on opioid fund spending after early struggles, state auditor says

New Mexico state agencies failed to spend roughly a quarter of the millions of dollars in opioid settlement funds they received in the 2024 fiscal year, according to a new report from the New Mexico State Auditor’s Office.

Researcher tells New Mexico lawmakers more funding needed for Holloman Lake wildlife PFAS testing

While previous testing showed plants and wildlife near Holloman Lake in the south-central part of New Mexico contain some of the highest levels of toxic contamination ever recorded, some samples remain untested due to lack of funding, a state university researcher told lawmakers on Tuesday.

New Mexico Forward Party asks US Supreme Court to intervene in ballot access lawsuit

New Mexico’s nascent minor political party is asking the nation’s highest court to put its two statewide candidates on the Nov. 3 general election ballot after a U.S. District Court judge and the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals denied the party's request to put two of its statewide candidates on the ballot. The state's current ballot access laws leave "voters without real options on their ballots," party Chair Bob Perls said.

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