By Julia Goldberg | Editor-in-Chief
Good morning, folks. Happy Monday. We’re gearing up for a busy week with state lawmakers, who will be meeting in a variety of locales to discuss housing, artificial intelligence and health insurance, among many other topics. Last night, the state Supreme Court granted environmental groups’ request to halt Project Jupiter’s air quality permit application, among other actions. We’ll have more on that story today at sourcenm.com, with a look at Friday’s protest over the project below. You’ll also find updates on the Colorado River negotiations, drought and much more in today’s newsletter. Thanks for being here!
New Mexico residents on Friday protested a pending air quality permit application for data center Project Jupiter outside the New Mexico Environment Department in Santa Fe. (Photo by Danielle Prokop for Source NM)
Source’s Joshua Bowling reports on a Friday afternoon protest in Santa Fe, during which attendees gathered outside the state Environment Department and called on its officials to deny an air quality permit for the controversial Project Jupiter data center under construction in Doña Ana County.
The Elephant Butte Reservoir, pictured above on July 30, 2026, remains at 1.4% of its capacity, according to a new drought outlook from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (Photo courtesy New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department)
Record-breaking July temperatures have left nearly 95% of New Mexico in some degree of drought, according to a new outlook from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Source’s Patrick Lohmann writes.
The Colorado River is pictured where it flows near Hite, Utah, just beyond the upper reaches of Lake Powell, on Sept. 19, 2025. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)
The Bureau of Reclamation released its two-year operating plan on Friday detailing how the agency will manage the Colorado River amid ongoing drought and record-low water storage. The Lower Basin states of Arizona, California and Nevada bear the brunt of the cuts, with some of their representatives calling on Upper Basin states New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Wyoming to also curtail water use.
U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, pictured above during a Nov. 25, 2025, tour of a Mora acequia, on Friday announced she and other members of Congress are seeking an investigation into the environmental and health impacts of fire retardants. (Photo by Patrick Lohmann/Source NM)
U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.) on Friday announced she and fellow members of Congress are urging a federal government watchdog agency to examine the prevalence and potential impacts of hazardous metals that may be present in retardants firefighters use in battling wildfires.
ICYMI
Thanks for reading!
We're reading about one-of-a-kind collections in New Mexico’s museums.
Thanks for reading Direct From the Source. Did you know our weekend digest is also free? Sign up here. And if you enjoyed today’s edition, please forward to a friend. Increasing our readership helps us cover more news.