近距离内射合集

TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES 鈥� Sierra County commissioners passed the latest local moratorium on data center development in a surprise move during Tuesday morning鈥檚 regular meeting.

The southern New Mexico community joins Santa Fe County and Socorro County in enacting a temporary moratorium to study the impacts of data centers in their community and assess how to regulate them. It comes as state lawmakers propose a statewide moratorium for consideration in the next legislative session. 

The commissioners initially took up a resolution simply opposing the development of 鈥渓arge-scale data centers鈥� within Sierra County, as details recently emerged of a proposed solar-powered data center at Spaceport America, which sits on state trust land in the county. 

After hearing more than an hour of public comments, nearly all opposed to data centers in the community, Commissioner Sandy Jones proposed amending the resolution to include an 18-month moratorium, to which Commissioner Hank Hopkins avidly agreed. With Chairman Jim Paxon, all three commissioners voted to add the moratorium, a development that drew gasps and applause from the crowded meeting room.

The initial resolution reflected limits on how the county can regulate development at the spaceport, which sits on 18,000 acres leased through the State Land Office, as well as legal boundaries on local governments imposing restrictions that make economical development of private property unfeasible. As presented, the resolution simply expressed the commission鈥檚 opposition to such developments.

Although the resolution does not apply to activity on state land, the Green Data proposal at Spaceport America cannot move forward unless State Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard approves a sublease. The office said last week no decision has been made, but that the commissioner 鈥渉as serious concerns about the tremendous strain that some data centers put on water systems and other natural resources.鈥� Garcia Richard, currently a candidate for lieutenant governor, is leaving the State Land Office at the end of the year.

Community organization in opposition to artificial intelligence-centered data centers has spread quickly in New Mexico since the rapid development of Project Jupiter, a hyperscale complex of data centers on private land in Santa Teresa that was first disclosed to the public in August 2025. The project began construction the following month after industrial revenue bonds and tax incentives were approved by Do帽a Ana County under ordinances approved before the project鈥檚 commitments to the county were even finalized.

Project Consequences, an informal group of residents across Sierra County, took form over the last month, after public records obtained by local resident Wil Troup revealed that Spaceport America had been in talks with developer Jason Bak of Green Data/Aetherion Inc. since 2021.

Sulome Anderson, a Monticello resident who is one of the group鈥檚 organizers, said Project Jupiter presented a lesson in how quickly data center developments can break ground, with much of the regulatory groundwork laid before the public is aware of it.

鈥淲e learned from that and I think Socorro also learned from that,鈥� Anderson said during a break in the meeting. 鈥淚 would rather jump the gun than miss the opportunity. I don't think there's any shame in anticipating these things because they're happening across the country, and the people who didn't know and waited too long or weren't aware are the people who are suffering the consequences.鈥�

A petition circulated this month supporting a moratorium gathered 408 signatures.

Thirty people presented comments over 70 minutes, nearly all in opposition to data centers and emphasizing concerns about water resources in the Lower Rio Grande community and the need to support other sectors of the local economy.

An exception was Joan Baker of Los Lunas, representing U.A. Local 412, a union chapter representing pipefitters, plumbers and HVAC workers. 鈥淪ierra County has a high number of disaffected youth,鈥� she said. 鈥淥nce I come into town and I train them, where will they work? 鈥� I will be sending them to Santa Teresa, El Paso or Pecos, Texas. What do those three places have in common? They're building data centers.鈥�

While many speakers expressed opposition to AI infrastructure in itself, others said Sierra County 鈥� where the Elephant Butte Reservoir earlier this month fell below 3% of capacity for the first time since 2018 and the region鈥檚 farmers are facing shorter allocations of water for irrigation 鈥� is simply not an appropriate location.

鈥淭he idea that these data centers are inevitable, or that they're crucial to our economy or our national security, is a fallacy,鈥� Crystal Jones of Truth or Consequences said. 鈥淚t is not crucial for us as people to have data centers or faster response times for (large language) models 鈥� and certainly not at the expense of clean water, air quality, utility prices and our quality of life.鈥�

Commissioner Sandy Jones of Williamsburg, appointed in November following Commissioner Travis Day鈥檚 resignation, proposed an amendment adding the moratorium. 

Jones expressed alarm over further stressing water resources and raised other questions, including whether data center development at the spaceport could affect the mission of neighboring White Sands Missile Range, from whose restricted airspace the spaceport benefits.

Meanwhile, Commissioner Jones continued, 鈥淭here are private lands out there of more than 22 acres that probably could be for sale,鈥� with few means for the county to put the brakes on data center projects.

He said a moratorium would allow time both for the county to complete resource impact studies and to see what regulatory actions the state Legislature pursues in the next two sessions, which will take place under a new administration as Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham leaves office at the end of 2026.

The three commissioners agreed to the amendment and unanimously passed the resolution, delivering a move that was more than opponents had hoped for when the meeting began.

鈥淭hat was a big shock to me,鈥� Anderson said minutes after the vote. 鈥淚'm so grateful to our commissioners for doing that, all three of them. And I'm so proud of our community. I'm so proud of every single person, and I think that this will give us the time to nail down these issues.鈥�

Paxon told the Journal after the meeting that his vote was decided by 鈥渢he will of the people and a need for more information as to the scale of the facility and means of cooling and supplying electricity.鈥� He continued, 鈥淭he county will do or contract for some studies to find answers. The resolution just gives us time to do that.鈥� 

Algernon 顿鈥橝尘尘补蝉蝉补 is the Journal鈥檚 southern New Mexico correspondent. He can be reached at adammassa@abqjournal.com.