Yucca Growth Infrastructure, LLC-YGI Microgrid Air Quality Construction Permit Application

Comment From: Eve Ostara

7/06/26 @ 10:11 PM

Decades of dams, diversions, and over-allocation of the Colorado River have already left much of the Southwest and northern Mexico struggling with water scarcity. Southern New Mexico depends on limited groundwater and the Rio Grande, both of which ar...↓

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Comment From: Alice Hutchins

7/06/26 @ 10:10 PM

I strongly oppose the approval of Yucca Growth Infrastructure's air quality permit. The amount of CO2 released will contribute to an already oppressive heat index over southern New Mexico and northern Mexico. It is environmentally and socially unjust...↓

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Comment From: Emily Roberts

7/06/26 @ 10:09 PM

I am completely opposed to any part of this project moving forward because of the terrible environmental, economic, and cultural impact it will have on our beautiful state.

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Comment From: Sandra Chavarría

7/06/26 @ 10:09 PM

As a New Mexico resident I vehemently oppose the issuance of air quality construction permits for Project Jupiter microgrid facilities. A full environmental impact study, to clarify potential effects including greenhouse gas emissions and aquifer dep...↓

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Comment From: Zoe Hill

7/06/26 @ 10:09 PM

I unabashedly oppose this permit. Project Jupiter will hasten the destruction of our fragile environment robbing us of our access to clean air, water, and soil. As a parent, I care about the future of the world my children exist in. Money is a foolis...↓

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Comment From: Karen Mabry

7/06/26 @ 10:09 PM

I am a resident of Dona Ana County and am writing to OPPOSE the permit to Project Jupiter. We already have terrible air quality in the region, and if this permit is granted it will only become worse. This project would also do significant damage to N...↓

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Comment From: Danny Wolf

7/06/26 @ 10:08 PM

I deeply oppose this permit and the whole project. It is threat to all residents of New Mexico and our precious. The fuel cells will release 10 millions of tons of carbon dioxide per year and pull on water we don't have. The rio grande has run dry ea...↓

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Comment From: Estevan Whiting

7/06/26 @ 10:08 PM

I am lifelong New Mexican resident in Albuquerque in the city. I was born into 25 years ago is not the city/ state I know now, the rivers are dry and the snow packs are nonexistent. It is a fact that Data Centers such as project Jupiter increase heat...↓

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Comment From: Joshua Marcum

7/06/26 @ 10:08 PM

As a New Mexican I strive to conserve the water and power I use, scarce resources in this state. It is ludicrous that this permit would be approved allowing a corporation to steal these precious resources while polluting our environment and bringing ...↓

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Comment From: Pamela demmer

7/06/26 @ 10:07 PM

I oppose Project Jupiter. We are in a 26 year drought and our rivers are drying up. This project will continue to deplete already stressed water supply.

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Comment From: Patricia Murphy

7/06/26 @ 10:07 PM

As a native New Mexican, I do not want this sort of data center anywhere in my state.

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Comment From: Tory Woods

7/06/26 @ 10:05 PM

I think it is absurd to consider a desert in a water crisis as the site for a data center that uses millions of gallons of water. As a resident of Dona Ana it genuinely feels like you think we can be made a fool of, that we can be taken advantage of....↓

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Comment From: Mikayla Sanchez

7/06/26 @ 10:05 PM

In no way should this go through. New Mexicans will not benefit from this project

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Comment From: Michelle Watkins

7/06/26 @ 10:05 PM

I urge the NMED to deny this permit application. The amount of emissions presents a severe public health risk on many levels. The emissions data they have provided is based on faulty science and is little more than a guess, as a project of this scale...↓

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Comment From: Alana Penn

7/06/26 @ 10:05 PM

I oppose this permit. We don't have enough resources for this.

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Comment From: Alicia Benavidez

7/06/26 @ 10:04 PM

Project Jupiter will negatively impact the entirety of New Mexico and its residents. It will result in higher electricity bills and exacerbate the climate and water crisis our state is currently facing. I am in complete opposition of Project Jupiter.

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Comment From: Alina Pozas

7/06/26 @ 10:04 PM

I do not support Project Jupiter. DENY the continuation of this project in the name of protecting and preserving the well-being of our communities and our land. Project Jupiter will cause significant harm to us all.

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Comment From: Elizabeth B

7/06/26 @ 10:04 PM

I oppose! Let's stop being the land of extraction and stay the land of enchantment.

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Comment From: Donalyn Lorenzo

7/06/26 @ 10:04 PM

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Comment From: Jaimie Hashey

7/06/26 @ 10:03 PM

As a resident of the state of New Mexico I feel it is very irresponsible to have constructed these data centers so fast without proper environmental impact considerations. The Rio Grande is dry and we are going through a drought. These data centers u...↓

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Comment From: Sydney Wang

7/06/26 @ 10:03 PM

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Comment From: Ricki Kain

7/06/26 @ 10:03 PM

As a New Mexican and public school teacher I strongly oppose this permit. Our children's futures and the health and safety of our environment should not be for sale. Our air quality is already suffering greatly from pollution and wildfires. Corporate...↓

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Comment From: Kat Kemp

7/06/26 @ 10:02 PM

Dear New Mexico Environment Department:

I write to you as a deeply concerned citizen to urge you to reject the air quality construction permit application (10883) submitted by Yucca Growth Infrastructure LLC (YGI) to build a methane-fueled power pla...↓nt in the Santa Teresa area, west of Sunland Park, along the Mexican border in southern Dona Ana County. YGI's application has not demonstrated that this project adheres to state statute requiring that it prevent air pollution "in quantities and of a duration that may with reasonable probability injure human health or animal or plant life or as may unreasonably interfere with the public welfare, visibility or the reasonable use of property" (NMSA 74-2-2(b)). The projected amount of carbon dioxide production alone is, to me, reason to reject the application. The carbon dioxide expected to be generated by this highly unusual energy production plan is equivalent to the amount generated by all electricity production in the entire state in 2021 (10.31 MMT CO2e), according to Energy+Environmental Ecconomis ("New Mexico Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and Forecast," released December 2024). The YGI plant would generate 9.2 million metric tons of C02-equivalent per year. The developer has boasted that this amount of greenhouse gases is roughly 40 percent less than its original gas turbine plan; but the overall output is still unacceptable and dangerous. The YGI power plant, by itself, would effectively wipe out the fruits of years of effort on the state and local level - political organizing, policy development, legislative appropriations - to reduce greenhouse gas emissions enough to curb the worst effects of climate change. We have already seen average temperatures in the Southwest increase by 2 degrees Fahrenheit over the last few decades. You know this. We are being asked to sacrifice environmental health and community well-being for private profit. Your decision is clear - the YGI project should not and must not be approved.

The developer, with the blessing of the state, proposes to locate this project on the edge of a largely Hispanic, low-income community. This project's impact should be assessed in the context of plans for at least two other data centers in the region - the Meta data center in northeast El Paso (literally on the state line abutting the low-income community of Chaparral, NM), and another data center proposed by the Department of Defense on Fort Bliss, Tx.

There are other issues that require additional scrutiny and vetting by the state, particularly the ambient heat produced by data centers and the thousands of fuel cells necessary to power it. A temperature increase of just one or two degrees year-round from heated air flowing over the area will result in damaging aridification and impacts to New Mexicans and natuve wildlife.

The developers of the data center and its associated microgrid are already racing ahead with construction, before obtaining a crucial air quality permit from your agency. Contractors have already graded land, built parking lots, and are laying the groundwork for the data center and microgrid. It's reasonable to conclude that they are engaging in this risky behavior in a high-stakes effort to pressure regulatory bodies to bend and forfeit your regulatory responsibilities. They are essentially daring you to stand in the way of "progress and economic development," a framework popular with Project Jupiter's backers.

If the permit is not denied, then a public hearing should be held as well as giving the public an additional 60 days to review and comment on the air quality permit so community members can participate equitably. But I urge you to please stand strong, adhere to principles and policy, and do not allow this pressure tactic to affect your decision-making responsibilities. Reject this application for the good of the community and our shared environment.

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Comment From: MARCIA HALES

7/06/26 @ 10:00 PM

This is horrible idea. We already live in water challenged state and the byproducts don't do anything for the community. This cannot go forward for the health of our state and next generations.

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Comment From: Jac Crespin

7/06/26 @ 9:59 PM

I'm generally in favor of technology, especially when it helps with education, new ideas, and responsible growth, but approving Project Jupiter without really understanding what it could do is not a good idea. Technology should help people make bette...↓

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Comment From: Catherine Brenholdt

7/06/26 @ 9:59 PM

I am against any data centers in New Mexico. I am proud of the efforts displayed in my state to keep people safe during a time when the freedom and lives of so many Americans are under threat. A data center can only be a direct threat to those effort...↓

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Comment From: Carl Christensen

7/06/26 @ 9:58 PM

Dear NMED Officials and Doña Ana County Commissioners,

I am writing to express my strong opposition to the proposed Project Jupiter data center campus in Santa Teresa/Sunland Park. As a concerned resident, I urge you to deny the necessary air qualit...↓

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Comment From: Dahlia Hove

7/06/26 @ 9:56 PM

I think Project Jupiter as a whole is a step in the wrong direction for NM. I am wholly opposed to the construction of such a center.

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Comment From: Katharine Elliott

7/06/26 @ 9:56 PM

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Comment From: Meirah Williamson

7/06/26 @ 9:55 PM

I strongly oppose Project Jupiter in its entirety. Building this data center will increase air and noise pollution in the area, and deplete the state's already stressed water supply. Our water and energy costs will increase as utilities are upgraded ...↓

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Comment From: Gary Sanderson

7/06/26 @ 9:55 PM

I am opposed to Project Jupiter, and I implore NMED to outright reject this proposal and application.

Granting a permit to emit over 10 million metric tons of CO2 annually violates NMED's mission to protect public health and
prevent air quality dete...↓

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Comment From: Tammy Huynh

7/06/26 @ 9:54 PM

I am opposed to this project. This is a large construction project that will affect the people in the area in the short term related to dust and air quality issues. As far as long term issues, this is to build an AI facility which has high water. Th...↓

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Comment From: Kyle Kirtley

7/06/26 @ 9:54 PM

Do not allow these greedy companies. To plunder NM of its resources, water and people, just so they can also pollute our air and destroy ecosystems.

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Comment From: Holly Potter

7/06/26 @ 9:54 PM

New Mexico does not need a data center. Project Jupiter is already preying on our community, offering them $25/hr to spread misinformation about the true agenda of this proposed project, under the guise of an "improvement." I was approached by a repr...↓

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Comment From: Lily Ryan

7/06/26 @ 9:53 PM

Project Jupiter is terrible for New Mexico, terrible for the world, and completely unacceptable.

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Comment From: Melissa Thomas

7/06/26 @ 9:53 PM

I do not wish to see this take place. I do not wish to see the overuse of water and the pollution of air. I do not wish to see large data centers or clearings of land, where eventually there will be continuous water issues and energy hum. Other state...↓

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Comment From: Tom Rael

7/06/26 @ 9:53 PM

I am a resident of Santa Fe - I am asking that you deny Yucca Growth Infrastructure's air quality permit. I live here with many generations of my family and this is our home. I want to continue raising my children here knowing they have a safe and se...↓cure future. That future is under threat with this proposed air quality permit. A change to fuel cells has minimal impacts on the suffering we will endure as a result of the gas plant's air pollution. To add 10 million tons of carbon dioxide pollution and a vague estimate of toxic emissions to our active and long-time nonattainment zone would be nothing short of blatant environmental racism. Our metro area is currently 16th worst in the nation for ozone pollution and we have received a failing grade on this air quality standard every single year since 2000. We are already breathing some of the most compromised air in the country. It is unacceptable to invite a new source of hyperscale air pollution into our communities.

The carbon dioxide pollution alone will heat our atmosphere at a much faster pace and promote the formation of even more ground-level ozone. Last summer, my 7 year old suffered a grand mal seizure while on the playground at school because the extreme heat led to electrolyte imbalances. My brother works outside everyday without shade or rest breaks and has nowhere to keep his insulin cool. I can barely pay my electricity bills in the summer as it is. We cannot afford more intense heat. The other toxic air pollutants are extremely dangerous–many of them at very low levels. How am I supposed to send my kids to school knowing what they are breathing in? Knowing it can cause permanent brain damage or breathing complications before they have had a chance to grow up.

Fuel cells also create hazardous waste and the fuel cell provider for this project has a history of illegally dumping this waste and hiding it for several years. This company will likely repeat its bad habits, illegally dumping dangerous and undisclosed chemicals into our public landfills, and we will just have to wait until somebody notices? Our county has and continues to face an illegal dumping epidemic so how can I be sure that these systemic oversight failures we have locally won't continue and expand to include this dangerous and experimental fuel cell operation. A fine for illegal dumping does not undo damage or its spread once our aquifer and soils are contaminated. It also will not re-capture the volatile chemicals that are released into the air when hazardous waste is improperly stored and disposed of.

My family's health and safety should be worth more than the profits of out-of-state corporations. The only defensible options moving forward are to deny this air permit or you must hold a public hearing in-person in Santa Teresa with a component for virtual participation. Materials and the hearing itself must be translated into Spanish and meet any other accessibility needs requested by community members.

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Comment From: Lily Burrola

7/06/26 @ 9:52 PM

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Comment From: Marina Perez

7/06/26 @ 9:51 PM

I urge the New Mexico Environment Department to reject the air quality permit for Project Jupiter and any additional investment in advertising, planning,
or proposing this project. The corporations pushing for this project will continue to underestim...↓

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Comment From: Brandan Ruiz

7/06/26 @ 9:51 PM

I do not think the data center should be able to pollute our land water and air.

The public should be given an additional 60 days to review and comment on the air quality permit so community members can participate equitably.
The air quality permit ...↓

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Comment From: Drew Bowman

7/06/26 @ 9:50 PM

Project Jupiter is a threat to the well being of every New Mexican. This project promises nothing but a mirage of progress while destroying our air, consuming our water, and destroying jobs for our citizens.

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Comment From: Anonymous Anonymous

7/06/26 @ 9:50 PM

I urge the NMED to reject YUCCA Yucca Growth Infrastructure, LLC's air permit application.

The public should be given an additional 60 days to review and comment on the air quality permit so community members can participate equitably.
The air quali...↓

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Comment From: Sarah Herbert

7/06/26 @ 9:49 PM

I oppose Project Jupiter. Its anticipated groundwater use threatens already overstressed aquifers that communities, farmers, and wildlife depend on for survival. Introducing heavy industrial activity in an area facing chronic drought risks accelerati...↓

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Comment From: Sarah Ausherman

7/06/26 @ 9:49 PM

Please halt Project Jupiter. The public should be giving an additional 60 days to review and comment on the air quality permit so community members can participate equitably. The air quality permit should be denied given Bloom Energy's history of ill...↓

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Comment From: Karin Johnson

7/06/26 @ 9:49 PM

As a mother and grandmother living here in Doña Ana County, I implore you to deny Project Jupiter any kind of air quality permit. The criminal track record of Bloom Energy should not in any way be allowed to make its deadly mark in our state.

Al...↓

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Comment From: Ever Salaiz Acuna

7/06/26 @ 9:49 PM

Project Jupiter is not necessary, if it were for the people of New Mexico this project would not be moving forward. Stop it at all costs.

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Comment From: Ahtza Chavez

7/06/26 @ 9:49 PM

Please DO NOT approve an air permit for Project Jupiter. The air quality near the proposed site needs improvement NOT additional pollution. The water resources for the project have not been secured. We need water for our state NOT to cool this large ...↓

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Comment From: Emerson Ruiz

7/06/26 @ 9:49 PM

As a resident of New Mexico in both Doña Ana and Bernilillo counties since 2010, I am wholly dissatisfied with the lack of public input before readily accepting the terms of Project Jupiter. In a region scarred by the legacy of atomic power, the pois...↓

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Comment From: Leila Murrieta

7/06/26 @ 9:48 PM

I don't think allowing a bunch of temporary jobs is worth not having any water or clean air or increasing temperatures by up to 2 degrees.

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Comment From: Paloma Mexika

7/06/26 @ 9:48 PM

I am a lifelong New Mexican, and I strongly OPPOSE Project Jupiter. I am tired of seeing out of state corporations come to New Mexico to take advantage of our resources, and leave us to deal with the long term consequences. Calling something "eConOmi...↓

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Comment From: Cristian Salgueiro

7/06/26 @ 9:48 PM

I am a resident of Doña Ana county and am requesting you deny Yucca Growth Infrastructure's air quality permit. The lack of transparency in environmental impact analysis for this project is reason enough to deny the permit. Combined with the lack of ...↓

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Comment From: Julie Eames

7/06/26 @ 9:48 PM

I am writing to urge the NMED to reject YUCCA Yucca Growth Infrastructure, LLC's air permit application for the YGI Microgrid.

NMED should deny this application because granting it would allow operations that will increase air pollution and adver...↓

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Comment From: Bertha Vitela

7/06/26 @ 9:48 PM

Yucca Growth Infrastructure's proposed plans will significantly decrease the air quality in our area. While their new technology is better than the absolute worst air pollution, the level of methane and other airborne pollutants that would be release...↓

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Comment From: Athena Tirre

7/06/26 @ 9:48 PM

am submitting this comment to share my strong opposition to the Yucca Growth Infrastructure, LLC-YGI Microgrid Air Quality Construction Permit Application. Please deny this application for the following reasons:

*YGI's application should be denied...↓ by NMED because YGI failed to include all relevant information about Bloom Energy's problematic history. A report provided by Hindenburg Research has indicated the nature of the Bloom Energy company and its systems in other states which have higher emissions than they initially indicated [1]. This report was used in a court case (Jacob v. Bloom Energy Corporation) in Delaware where a shareholder of the Bloom Energy company was demanding an inspection of Bloom's books and records following the analysis of the Hindenburg report on the company [2]. In this case the court concluded granting Jacob limited inspection rights as Bloom's Form 8-K form rebuttal to the Hindenburg report as the form stated that there was an accounting error, giving some credibility to Jacob's concerns on the company's financial reporting [2]. Additionally, the EPA probed and fined the company over its handling of potentially hazardous waste from their solid fuel cells in Delaware which ran on natural gas in 2020 [3]. In fact, the company has a trend of downplaying the hazardous waste, including this year [3].

*Bloom Energy's Fuel Cells are not clean energy – no matter what YGI says. These fuel cells generate significant NOX, CO, and VOCs, all of which contribute to negative health impacts, as well as hazardous solid waste that cannot be ignored by NMED. The amount of greenhouse gases that would be produced is still above the emissions of New Mexico's biggest cities combined despite the fact that the fuel cells will emit about 2 million tons less in emissions than the original gas turbines at about 13 million, according to Bloom Energy's own Doña Ana County website [4]. This does not match the state's push for green and renewable energy as stated by the Energy Transition Act, which has "...set a statewide renewable energy standard of 50 percent by 2030 for New Mexico investor-owned utilities and rural electric cooperatives" [5]. Even the Office for Renewable Energy has a track record for renewable energy as touted by the Office's own state website [6]. However, this project's fuel source is the opposite of what the state's own legislation has set for moving away from nonrenewable and CO2 emitting energy sources. The natural gas powered, fuel cell micro-grid as proposed is almost a completed contrast to other energy projects such as the SunZia and the Iberdrola "El Cabo" projects [6].

*Permitting any microgrid facility will result in a clear example of environmental racism and NMED is required to ensure no group of people bears a disproportionate share of negative environmental consequences [7, 8]. This is especially important because Doña Ana County residents already bear the disproportionate burden of environmental pollution compared to the rest of New Mexico.

*NMED should give the public 60 days of additional time to review and comment on the Application to ensure everyone can meaningfully comment and participate.

Above all, the lack of information including the energy source the fuel cells use to residents in the city where the center will be located and nearby cities is not appreciated and should be taken into account when reviewing the application.
The manner in which information has been given has been seemingly muddy for a more popular result. For one, the manner of information about the project and its power sources lacks clarification for the general public, beyond just media coverage. For example, there is very little information about how the fuel cells are powered. When looking up the fuel cells used by the company, three options are talked about: natural gas, biogas, and hydrogen. But the exact energy type used for the Doña Ana County project's fuel cells has be limited. Few sources actually mention the fuel source, with the information difficult to find. It is not mentioned clearly to the public at all, and the Bloom Energy website mentioned it only under a Q&A about pollutant emittants [4].
There has been promotional material used for the project and the use of fuel cells which have been touting that the fuel cells are clean energy when it is not. Even the Bloom Energy website touts that it is cleaner, but only in air pollutants and not emissions despite the way the project likes to make it out to be clean energy [4]. This specific project for Doña Ana County has stated that the fuel cells will be powered with natural gas, which is in fact not a clean energy source [4]. If the project truly wanted to use clean energy, they would have used solar fuel cells, a different energy source that for the fuel cells such as hydrogen which is cleaner, or a combination of green energy sources. The fact that stating the project is using fuel cells and not specifically mentioning that they are natural gas powered is misleading in nature. Most people hearing the phrase 'fuel cells' will likely correlate it to solar powered fuel cells and the lack of clarification is used to generate a more positive perspective of the project's use of fuel cells to residents who have been pushing back on the project's water usage and emissions rates.
The greenwashing and misleading nature by Bloom Energy should not, and is not, acceptable to the county's and state's constituents which is why I believe that the application should be denied.

References:
[1] https://hindenburgresearch.com/bloom-energy-a-clean-energy-darling-wilting-to-its-demise/
[2] https://www.potteranderson.com/insights/cases/Jacob-v-Bloom-Energy-Corporation#:~:text=The%20Hindenburg%20report%20concluded%20that,substantial%20write%2Ddowns%20in%20the
[3] https://rhinocerosmedia.org/bloom-contradictions
[4] https://bloomenergydonaana.com/en
[5] https://www.dws.nm.gov/ETA#:~:text=The%20ETA%20sets%20a%20statewide,cooperatives%20and%20a%20goal%20of
[6] https://www.nmstatelands.org/divisions/commercial-resources/renewable-energy/
[7] https://nmelc.org/our-work/projectjupiter/
[8] https://www.env.nm.gov/general/environmental-justice-in-new-mexico/

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Comment From: Steven McDonald

7/06/26 @ 9:48 PM

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Comment From: Ana H

7/06/26 @ 9:48 PM

I am extremely opposed to Project Jupiter. An AI data center is not needed in New Mexico. We barely have water to support our own people. Our aquaphors are drying up at an accelerated rate. Our surface water is disappearing at an accelerated rate. As...↓

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Comment From: Angela Eli

7/06/26 @ 9:47 PM

Angela Eli

I am against building a data center here in New Mexico. This will greatly affect our environment and wild life. I am not a robot!

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Comment From: Brynn Metheney

7/06/26 @ 9:47 PM

No to this project. Too much water to make way for more human jobs to disappear. We need solutions outside of Silicon Valley's interests.

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Comment From: C G

7/06/26 @ 9:47 PM

The water crisis in New Mexico is so bad it is actively palpable. Even in the past two years, climate change has genuinely changed the seasonal patterns here. It no longer snows in March, last year there was barely any snow on the ground. There has n...↓

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Comment From: Elizabeth Small

7/06/26 @ 9:47 PM

I am a resident of Albuquerque and I passionately ask that you deny Yucca Growth Infrastructure's air quality permit. The process has not been fair nor just, and public is entitled to more time and equitable information sharing.

It is clear that ...↓

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Comment From: Stefan Fountain

7/06/26 @ 9:47 PM

I am submitting this comment to share my strong opposition to the Yucca Growth Infrastructure, LLC-YGI Microgrid Air Quality Construction Permit Application. Please deny this application for the following reasons:

*YGI's application should be deni...↓ed by NMED because YGI failed to include all relevant information about Bloom Energy's problematic history. A report provided by Hindenburg Research has indicated the nature of the Bloom Energy company and its systems in other states which have higher emissions than they initially indicated [1]. This report was used in a court case (Jacob v. Bloom Energy Corporation) in Delaware where a shareholder of the Bloom Energy company was demanding an inspection of Bloom's books and records following the analysis of the Hindenburg report on the company [2]. In this case the court concluded granting Jacob limited inspection rights as Bloom's Form 8-K form rebuttal to the Hindenburg report as the form stated that there was an accounting error, giving some credibility to Jacob's concerns on the company's financial reporting [2]. Additionally, the EPA probed and fined the company over its handling of potentially hazardous waste from their solid fuel cells in Delaware which ran on natural gas in 2020 [3]. In fact, the company has a trend of downplaying the hazardous waste, including this year [3].

*Bloom Energy's Fuel Cells are not clean energy – no matter what YGI says. These fuel cells generate significant NOX, CO, and VOCs, all of which contribute to negative health impacts, as well as hazardous solid waste that cannot be ignored by NMED. The amount of greenhouse gases that would be produced is still above the emissions of New Mexico's biggest cities combined despite the fact that the fuel cells will emit about 2 million tons less in emissions than the original gas turbines at about 13 million, according to Bloom Energy's own Doña Ana County website [4]. This does not match the state's push for green and renewable energy as stated by the Energy Transition Act, which has "...set a statewide renewable energy standard of 50 percent by 2030 for New Mexico investor-owned utilities and rural electric cooperatives" [5]. Even the Office for Renewable Energy has a track record for renewable energy as touted by the Office's own state website [6]. However, this project's fuel source is the opposite of what the state's own legislation has set for moving away from nonrenewable and CO2 emitting energy sources. The natural gas powered, fuel cell micro-grid as proposed is almost a completed contrast to other energy projects such as the SunZia and the Iberdrola "El Cabo" projects [6].

*Permitting any microgrid facility will result in a clear example of environmental racism and NMED is required to ensure no group of people bears a disproportionate share of negative environmental consequences [7, 8]. This is especially important because Doña Ana County residents already bear the disproportionate burden of environmental pollution compared to the rest of New Mexico.

*NMED should give the public 60 days of additional time to review and comment on the Application to ensure everyone can meaningfully comment and participate.

Above all, the lack of information including the energy source the fuel cells use to residents in the city where the center will be located and nearby cities is not appreciated and should be taken into account when reviewing the application.
The manner in which information has been given has been seemingly muddy for a more popular result. For one, the manner of information about the project and its power sources lacks clarification for the general public, beyond just media coverage. For example, there is very little information about how the fuel cells are powered. When looking up the fuel cells used by the company, three options are talked about: natural gas, biogas, and hydrogen. But the exact energy type used for the Doña Ana County project's fuel cells has be limited. Few sources actually mention the fuel source, with the information difficult to find. It is not mentioned clearly to the public at all, and the Bloom Energy website mentioned it only under a Q&A about pollutant emittants [4].
There has been promotional material used for the project and the use of fuel cells which have been touting that the fuel cells are clean energy when it is not. Even the Bloom Energy website touts that it is cleaner, but only in air pollutants and not emissions despite the way the project likes to make it out to be clean energy [4]. This specific project for Doña Ana County has stated that the fuel cells will be powered with natural gas, which is in fact not a clean energy source [4]. If the project truly wanted to use clean energy, they would have used solar fuel cells, a different energy source that for the fuel cells such as hydrogen which is cleaner, or a combination of green energy sources. The fact that stating the project is using fuel cells and not specifically mentioning that they are natural gas powered is misleading in nature. Most people hearing the phrase 'fuel cells' will likely correlate it to solar powered fuel cells and the lack of clarification is used to generate a more positive perspective of the project's use of fuel cells to residents who have been pushing back on the project's water usage and emissions rates.
The greenwashing and misleading nature by Bloom Energy should not, and is not, acceptable to the county's and state's constituents which is why I believe that the application should be denied.

References:
[1] https://hindenburgresearch.com/bloom-energy-a-clean-energy-darling-wilting-to-its-demise/
[2] https://www.potteranderson.com/insights/cases/Jacob-v-Bloom-Energy-Corporation#:~:text=The%20Hindenburg%20report%20concluded%20that,substantial%20write%2Ddowns%20in%20the
[3] https://rhinocerosmedia.org/bloom-contradictions
[4] https://bloomenergydonaana.com/en
[5] https://www.dws.nm.gov/ETA#:~:text=The%20ETA%20sets%20a%20statewide,cooperatives%20and%20a%20goal%20of
[6] https://www.nmstatelands.org/divisions/commercial-resources/renewable-energy/
[7] https://nmelc.org/our-work/projectjupiter/
[8] https://www.env.nm.gov/general/environmental-justice-in-new-mexico/

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Comment From: Carly Howard

7/06/26 @ 9:46 PM

Dear NMED staff,
My name is Carly Howard. I live in New Mexico, and I am writing because I am concerned about the risks and harms Project Jupiter poses to New Mexicans. I am submitting this comment to urge the New Mexico Environment Department to re...↓

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Comment From: Jacob Evenson

7/06/26 @ 9:46 PM

Please see our correct letter. I submitted a letter attachment earlier this afternoon with the same title but had the previous applicant's name. This is the letter we'd like to appear in the official record. Thank you.

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Comment From: Kylee Emerick

7/06/26 @ 9:46 PM

I oppose

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Comment From: Makenzie Meacham

7/06/26 @ 9:46 PM

The last thing this parched land needs is a data center. Disgusting of Yucca Growth Infrastructure to be pushing this project on this community. They are ignoring the wants of New Mexicans, lying about the support they have, and acting like the econo...↓

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Comment From: Josephine Lewis

7/06/26 @ 9:45 PM

Dear NMED staff,

My name is Josephine Lewis. I live in [place of residence], and I am writing because I am concerned about the risks and harms Project Jupiter poses to New Mexicans. I am submitting this comment to urge the New Mexico Environment Dep...↓

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Comment From: Elena Wegmann

7/06/26 @ 9:45 PM

I do not support Project Jupiter. Use of AI leads to the cognitive surrender of our youth and impact their reading comprehension and access to educational growth. Data centers waste massive amounts of water, create noise, and deplete wildlife and bio...↓

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Comment From: Erica Davis

7/06/26 @ 9:45 PM

I am not in favor of this project. As a former resident of Las Cruces who loves Dona Ana County dearly, I do not believe this is in the best interest of anyone. It is a dangerous proposal that will at best *maybe* have short term benefits at the expe...↓

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Comment From: CJ Pennington

7/06/26 @ 9:45 PM

Project Jupiter brings absolutely zero benefit to anyone living in New Mexico besides the very people who want it's construction- which is without the consent of the people. We do not want this void in our natural economy of very little water and ris...↓

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Comment From: Ali Anderson

7/06/26 @ 9:44 PM

There is not enough water for this project to be completed. Not would it benefit the New Mexico economy. This would only consume a tremendous amount of natural resources for little to no gain.

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Comment From: Vivían Reyes

7/06/26 @ 9:44 PM

I am a resident of Albuquerque and I am asking that you deny Yucca Growth Infrastructure's air quality permit. I live here with many generations of my family and this is our home. I want to continue raising my children here knowing they have a safe a...↓nd secure future. That future is under threat with this proposed air quality permit. A change to fuel cells has minimal impacts on the suffering we will endure as a result of the gas plant's air pollution. To add 10 million tons of carbon dioxide pollution and a vague estimate of toxic emissions to our active and long-time nonattainment zone would be nothing short of blatant environmental racism. Our metro area is currently 16th worst in the nation for ozone pollution and we have received a failing grade on this air quality standard every single year since 2000. We are already breathing some of the most compromised air in the country. It is unacceptable to invite a new source of hyperscale air pollution into our communities.

The carbon dioxide pollution alone will heat our atmosphere at a much faster pace and promote the formation of even more ground-level ozone.
Fuel cells also create hazardous waste and the fuel cell provider for this project has a history of illegally dumping this waste and hiding it for several years. This company will likely repeat its bad habits, illegally dumping dangerous and undisclosed chemicals into our public landfills, and we will just have to wait until somebody notices? Our county has and continues to face an illegal dumping epidemic so how can I be sure that these systemic oversight failures we have locally won't continue and expand to include this dangerous and experimental fuel cell operation. A fine for illegal dumping does not undo damage or its spread once our aquifer and soils are contaminated. It also will not re-capture the volatile chemicals that are released into the air when hazardous waste is improperly stored and disposed of.

My family's health and safety should be worth more than the profits of out-of-state corporations. The only defensible options moving forward are to deny this air permit or you must hold a public hearing in-person in Santa Teresa with a component for virtual participation. Materials and the hearing itself must be translated into Spanish and meet any other accessibility needs requested by community members.

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Comment From: Misha Ash

7/06/26 @ 9:44 PM

There needs to be much more scrutiny, public input, and transparency before allowing any such project. At a time when climate disruptions are on the rise, including droughts and extreme weather events, what justification is there to allow such massiv...↓

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Comment From: Ericka Silesky

7/06/26 @ 9:44 PM

I strongly oppose Project Jupiter.

The public should be given an additional 60 days to review and comment on the air quality permit so community members can participate equitably.

The air quality permit application should be denied given Blo...↓

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Comment From: Heather Shelton

7/06/26 @ 9:43 PM

Dear New Mexico Environment Department:
I write to you as a deeply concerned citizen to urge you to reject the air quality construction permit application (10883) submitted by Yucca Growth Infrastructure LLC (YGI) to build a methane-fueled power pla...↓nt in the Santa Teresa area, west of Sunland Park, along the Mexican border in southern Dona Ana County. YGI's application has not demonstrated that this project adheres to state statute requiring that it prevent air pollution "in quantities and of a duration that may with reasonable probability injure human health or animal or plant life or as may unreasonably interfere with the public welfare, visibility or the reasonable use of property" (NMSA 74-2-2(b)).
The projected amount of carbon dioxide production alone is, to me, reason to reject the application. The carbon dioxide expected to be generated by this highly unusual energy production plan is equivalent to the amount generated by all electricity production in the entire state in 2021 (10.31 MMT CO2e), according to Energy+Environmental Ecconomis ("New Mexico Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and Forecast," released December 2024). The YGI plant, if the applicant is to be believed, would generate 9.2 million metric tons of C02-equivalent per year. The developer has boasted that this amount of greenhouse gases is roughly 40 percent less than its original gas turbine plan; but the overall output is still unacceptable and dangerous. The YGI power plant, by itself, would effectively wipe out the fruits of years of effort on the state and local level – political organizing, policy development, legislative appropriations - to reduce greenhouse gas emissions enough to curb the worst effects of climate change. While the president of the United States may call climate change a "hoax," at the level of state government in New Mexico, the issue is not subject to debate. We have already seen average temperatures in the Southwest increase by 2 degrees Fahrenheit over the last few decades. You know this. We are being asked to sacrifice environmental health and community well-being for private profit. Your decision is clear – the YGI project should not and must not be approved.
The developer, with the blessing of the state, proposes to locate this project on the edge of a largely Hispanic, low-income community. This project's impact should be assessed in the context of plans for at least two other data centers in the region – the Meta data center in northeast El Paso (literally on the state line abutting the low-income community of Chaparral, NM), and another data center proposed by the Department of Defense on Fort Bliss, Tx.
There are other issues that require additional scrutiny and vetting by the state, particularly the ambient heat produced by data centers and the thousands of fuel cells necessary to power it. A temperature increase of just one or two degrees year-round from heated air flowing over the area will result in damaging aridification and impacts to humans and wildlife.
The developers of the data center and its associated microgrid are already racing ahead with construction, before obtaining a crucial air quality permit from your agency. Contractors have already graded land, built parking lots, and are laying the groundwork for the data center and microgrid. It's reasonable to conclude that they are engaging in this risky behavior in a high-stakes effort to pressure regulatory bodies to bend and forfeit your regulatory responsibilities. They are essentially daring you to stand in the way of "progress and economic development," a framework popular with Project Jupiter's backers.
If the permit is not denied, then a public hearing should be held as well as giving the public an additional 60 days to review and comment on the air quality permit so community members can participate equitably. But I urge you to please stand strong, adhere to principles and policy, and do not allow this pressure tactic to affect your decision-making responsibilities. Reject this application for the good of the community and our shared environment.

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Comment From: Rose M

7/06/26 @ 9:43 PM

The public should be given an additional 60 days to review and comment on the air quality permit so community members can participate equitably.

The air quality permit application should be denied given Bloom Energy's history of illegal dumping h...↓

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Comment From: Teresa Skiba

7/06/26 @ 9:43 PM

No data centers in the state of New Mexico. The environmental impacts of such projects are catastrophic. We cannot afford to negatively impact water, soil and air quality. The people of Dona Ana County deserve our solidarity and respect!

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Comment From: Megan Gleason

7/06/26 @ 9:43 PM

We don't need data centers. They are not as beneficial to New Mexican citizens or citizens of the world. Vote no on the permit, and ban data centers all together. We need to stop using New Mexico and its people as a testing ground for new technologie...↓

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Comment From: Adam Hales

7/06/26 @ 9:43 PM

I am in opposition to building a data center here in New Mexico. For the environment and the people of New Mexico it should not be built here.

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Comment From: Kat D'Orazuo

7/06/26 @ 9:43 PM

I am vehemently opposed to Project Jupiter. This is theft of our resources and dangerous for our land and people. Deny the air quality permit application and give the public additional time to comment. If this permit goes through, it will be a blatan...↓

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Comment From: Jenelle Ploquet

7/06/26 @ 9:42 PM

I oppose and do not give my support. Planet earth is our only home and is sacred to all living species!!!

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Comment From: Beatriz Lopez

7/06/26 @ 9:42 PM

Estoy en contra de la construcción de el Proyecto Jupiter. Nuestra comunidad necesita agua limpia y tenemos que proteger nuestro aire contra más contaminación. Tengo más de 50 años viviendo en Sunland Park y en ese tiempo he visto los afectos ambient...↓

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Comment From: Mirinisa Stewart-Tengco

7/06/26 @ 9:42 PM

I fully oppose this initiative. A data center is wholly unnecessary to our community and poses a threat to our water, air, land, and values. In no universe does New Mexico need a data center to thrive—we already have plenty of jobs and infrastructure...↓

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Comment From: Rachelle Pena

7/06/26 @ 9:42 PM

My name is Rachelle and for the past four years i have served communities across New Mexico ( from Las Cruces to Farmington) in emergency and acute care. Through this work, I have witnessed firsthand the devastating consequences of New Mexico's long...↓ history of nuclear, gas, and oil extraction. I fear that the expansion of AI data centers will push our communities that are already struggling even deeper into crisis. I have grown to love New Mexico, and hope to continue to provide care for these communities because this is my home now. So am asking you to deny Yucca Growth Infrastructure's air quality permit.

This project is estimated to release 10 million tons of carbon dioxide pollution and other toxic emissions into our skies and into our groundwater, Many of our metro area; especially Doña Ana County have some of the worst in the nation for ozone pollution and regularly receive a failing grades on air quality standard every single year since 2000. Allowing Project Jupiter to continue will put our fiends, family, and neighbors in danger. In my ERs we are rushing to provide fluids to patients who arrived breathless, dizzy and drenched in sweat. Others were brought in on stretchers, their body temperatures so high their central nervous systems had shut down.

Just this past week I took take of a man who had a seizure at his grandson's first baseball game from the extreme heat causing severe electrolyte imbalance. I'll never forget the cries of his family. I also will never forget the sound of a child struggling to breathe during a severe asthma attack caused by worsening air quality. And I will never forget placing a woman on life support after her body violently rejected contaminated drinking water she had no choice but to rely on while trying to make it through her work shift.

For far too long, our most vulnerable communities have borne the burden of systemic disinvestment at the hands of corporate profiteers, polluting industries, and policymakers who have repeatedly prioritized private interests over the health and well-being of the people. New Mexicans deserve better. you must hold a public hearing in-person in Santa Teresa with a virtual option as well. Materials and the hearing itself must be translated into Spanish and meet any other accessibility needs requested by community members.

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Comment From: Vanessa Medrano

7/06/26 @ 9:41 PM

I am a resident of Las Cruces, New Mexico and moved here in the past year due to the opportunities and policies available here. This land is a large part of the pride I feel living here now. I have been part of the fight for clean air in El Paso, Tex...↓

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Comment From: Monico Candelaria

7/06/26 @ 9:41 PM

I oppose this application for a new permit.

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Comment From: Alysia Sufrin

7/06/26 @ 9:40 PM

This permit and the entire project reek of corruption. This level of emissions would undo all of our climate and carbon goals. DENY THIS PERMIT!!! Doña Ana is my home, I have nowhere else to go. I'm not alone. This project perpetuates a history of us...↓

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Comment From: Dany Walker

7/06/26 @ 9:40 PM

Please deny this application, this will hurt New Mexico and diminish an already scarce resource of water throughout the state.

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Comment From: Mykayla Trujillo Hanawalt

7/06/26 @ 9:40 PM

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Comment From: Anonymous Anonymous

7/06/26 @ 9:40 PM

I live in Southern Doña Ana County and under no circumstances do I want experimental technology deployed at an unprecedented scale in my backyard. Yucca Growth Infrastructure's gas-powered fuel cell plant is 1,000 times larger than Bloom Energy's big...↓gest existing fuel cell plant. In fact, worldwide, Bloom Energy has developed 1.4 GW of fuel cell technology across more than a thousand locations, yet Yucca Growth Infrastructure is asking for nearly double that (2.46 GW of fuel cells) at a singular location. The largest fuel cell plant in the entire world is more than 30 times smaller than the fuel cell plant under consideration in Santa Teresa. There is absolutely no way to know, with certainty, what the actual pollution levels will be given the tremendous size differential, and thus gap in data, between operational fuel cell plants and this theoretical plant proposed by Yucca Growth Infrastructure. Betting the livability of our county on this unpredictable and unproven plan would be a total capitulation and betrayal of your so-called values: "protects the public health of New Mexicans...by preventing the deterioration of air quality;" "protect and restore the environment...foster a healthy NM for present and future generations"

Though approximations of annual air pollution were provided, the testing used an extremely weak methodology leaving us, ultimately, with pseudoscientific guesses that have large margins of error. Estimated pollution levels for this gas-powered fuel cell plant are based on only three 4-hour pollution tests from a very small unit (only 65 kW). This is a far cry from thousands of sweltering fuel cells operating 24/7 at maximum output in close proximity, all in the scorching heat of our open desert. The lack of rigorous testing at even this small of a scale is lazy and very concerning, especially given that the gas power plant Yucca Growth Infrastructure wants to build is 37,000 times bigger than this unit.

The public should be given an additional 60 days to review and comment on the air quality permit so community members can participate equitably.
The air quality permit application should be denied outright given Bloom Energy's history of illegal dumping hazardous waste. Approving this permit would be government-sponsored environmental racism directed at residents of Doña Ana County.
If the permit is not denied outright, a public hearing needs to be held in Santa Teresa, in both English and Spanish, with an option to participate virtually.

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Comment From: Dylan Davis

7/06/26 @ 9:40 PM

New Mexicans are tired of our communities being treated as sacrifice zones and playgrounds for the ultra-wealthy.
I live in Southern Doña Ana County and under no circumstances do I want experimental technology deployed at an unprecedented scale in m...↓y backyard. Yucca Growth Infrastructure's gas-powered fuel cell plant is 1,000 times larger than Bloom Energy's biggest existing fuel cell plant. In fact, worldwide, Bloom Energy has developed 1.4 GW of fuel cell technology across more than a thousand locations, yet Yucca Growth Infrastructure is asking for nearly double that (2.46 GW of fuel cells) at a singular location. The largest fuel cell plant in the entire world is more than 30 times smaller than the fuel cell plant under consideration in Santa Teresa. There is absolutely no way to know, with certainty, what the actual pollution levels will be given the tremendous size differential, and thus gap in data, between operational fuel cell plants and this theoretical plant proposed by Yucca Growth Infrastructure. Betting the livability of our county on this unpredictable and unproven plan would be a total capitulation and betrayal of your so-called values: "protects the public health of New Mexicans...by preventing the deterioration of air quality;" "protect and restore the environment...foster a healthy NM for present and future generations"

Though approximations of annual air pollution were provided, the testing used an extremely weak methodology leaving us, ultimately, with pseudoscientific guesses that have large margins of error. Estimated pollution levels for this gas-powered fuel cell plant are based on only three 4-hour pollution tests from a very small unit (only 65 kW). This is a far cry from thousands of sweltering fuel cells operating 24/7 at maximum output in close proximity, all in the scorching heat of our open desert. The lack of rigorous testing at even this small of a scale is lazy and very concerning, especially given that the gas power plant Yucca Growth Infrastructure wants to build is 37,000 times bigger than this unit.

A 15% "safety margin" was added to the numbers provided by the applicant. Safety margins are not usually added if a company is confident in the accuracy of their pollution estimates. Even small variations from this superficial test will result in massively different levels of pollution and given that the plant will be 37,000 bigger than the testing unit, a 15% safety margin is completely insufficient–it could work as a margin for a single unit, but not the entire plant. If a unit has a 0.01% chance of failing (sounds promising right?), the odds of 37,000 of those units working perfectly at the same time is 2.47% (pathetically low feasibility). That means there is a 97.53% chance that the plant will experience at least one failure. What will the exact level of redundancy be? Will more fuel cells be rubberstamped or pollution levels overlooked in five years or less due to age-related inefficiencies?

What about cases of catastrophic failure? Are we approving those deadly incidents of pollution in advance without any real data informing us of the risks at this scale? Highly flammable hydrogen under high pressure only needs a microscopic crack to leak out, ignite, explode, and level entire neighborhoods and schools while sending shockwaves into nearby counties. Assuming this risk, an act of gross negligence, at a scale that has never even remotely been demonstrated in practice would be unbelievably careless. These permits must be denied outright. If further deliberation is desired, a public hearing in Santa Teresa is non-negotiable.

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Comment From: Christine Smith

7/06/26 @ 9:38 PM

I'm very concerned that Project Jupiter is ruining the CO2 emissions and air quality in New Mexico.

The public should be given an additional 60 days to review and comment on the air quality permit so community members can participate equitably.
The ...↓

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Comment From: Janelle Golden

7/06/26 @ 9:38 PM

I oppose this being permitted. New Mexico needs more sustainability, not less.

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Comment From: ROY G. DILF

7/06/26 @ 9:38 PM

NO DATA CENTERS IN NEW MEXICO NOW OR EVER
This project was never needed, and I hope with all these comments you can truly see how unwanted this has always been. From all walks of life, people internationally are begging for a complete moratorium of ...↓

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Comment From: Demitrius Anonymous

7/06/26 @ 9:37 PM

Data centers destroy the air, land and souls of the people.

The public should be given an additional 60 days to review and comment on the air quality permit so community members can participate equitably.
The air quality permit application should b...↓

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Comment From: John MacTavish

7/06/26 @ 9:37 PM

I am opposed to Project Jupiter, and I call upon NMED to outright reject this proposal and application.

Granting a permit to emit over 10 million metric tons of CO2 annually violates NMED's mission to protect public health and
prevent air quality de...↓

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Comment From: Zachary Aquino

7/06/26 @ 9:36 PM

I strongly oppose Project Jupiter. This company, and others like it, has a documented history of lying, cheating, and stealing to build its data centers. This project offers zero real benefit to New Mexicans. We're already in the middle of a constant...↓

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Comment From: Roxanna Mesco

7/06/26 @ 9:36 PM

Project Jupiter will be a blight on our land and should not be allowed. It will deplete natural resources and damage New Mexico and the people who live here. Do not grant them permits.

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Comment From: Ben Herrera

7/06/26 @ 9:35 PM

Such installments of data centers and other permits allowing the pollution in our state should not be allowed given the current state of global warming and the communal harming that data centers bring to the people around them. There is no need to ha...↓

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Comment From: Patricia Willson

7/06/26 @ 9:34 PM

There needs to be a moratorium on data center construction until the ramifications are better understood. Lowest snowpack on record. Hottest June on record. Massive flooding in the east right now. Do not approve the permit for this project! And yes, ...↓

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Comment From: Alissa salazar

7/06/26 @ 9:34 PM

The amount of proposed pollution suggested by project jupiter is unacceptable. Our air quality is very important in New Mexico. I would like a public hearing so we can actually have our say on this.

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