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New Energy Economy News
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Resisting Dirty Data Centers
Global data centers consumed 448 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2025. By 2030, that demand is projected to double. The associated water use could exceed 2.5 trillion gallons annually, while the carbon emissions would approach 400 million metric tons, destroying hope for climate progress.
Profits flow to billionaire tech executives, yet the costs are borne locally. Nearby residents live with the noise, heat and water scarcity. Developers are targeting New Mexico but we are fighting back.
Tell NMED - Let us live! Last day to ask them to reject Project Jupiter's air pollution application
On Friday we mistakenly wrote that the final day to comment was January 6th. That day is today. July 6th. If you have not already done so, please join us in asking NMED to reject Project Jupiter's plan to pollute our air with another 10 million tons - 20 billion pounds - of climate destroying CO2 every year. A monstrous crime against humanity and ecology, solely for the profit of Sam Altman and Larry Ellison. If ever there was a time to Rage Against the Machine, today is that
5 days ago
Yesterday Santa Fe County Commissioners listened to the people and passed a model data center moratorium
On Tuesday the Santa Fe County Commission voted unanimously to adopt an 18 month Data Center Moratorium Ordinance to allow time for study and adoption of critical regulations to protect against data center harms in Santa Fe County. Hundreds of you emailed the Commissioners, and dozens showed up at the meeting to ask for critical amendments to the published draft. The result? A strong ordinance that will protect Santa Fe County residents and serve as a model for counties acros
Jul 1
Proposed Data Center Moratorium Ordinance will be heard by Santa Fe County Commission on Tuesday the 30th. The draft has a hyperscale sized loophole that must be amended.
An ordinance proposed for discussion at a 2:00PM June 30th meeting of the Santa Fe County Commission would impose a one-year moratorium on the development of qualifying data center facilities in Santa Fe County, giving the County time to study and develop a framework for governing data center development. We applaud Santa Fe County Commissioners for proactive consideration of a data center moratorium to allow for the development of comprehensive protective regulations in San
Jun 23
Project Jupiter - the Time to Speak Out is Now
In February we collected more than 4500 public comments opposing air permits for the massive fossil fueled "microgrids" planned to power Project Jupiter. In response to that overwhelming public opposition, Project Jupiter backers pivoted to a new fossil fuel solution. They now plan to power their hyperscale data center with Bloom Energy's Solid Oxide Fuel Cells and have a applied for a new air permit under the name Yucca Growth Infrastructure (YGI). The greenwashing is strong
Jun 16
On this May Day, lifting up workers instead of AI billionaires who are working hard to create a permanent underclass
Yesterday at the evidentiary hearing to determine whether Blackstone and PNM broke the law with their $400 million unsanctioned stock transaction, Blackstone and PNM continued to argue that the law does not actually say what the law says. There is no 10% control threshold to trigger the requirement to get PRC permission, even if at one time a draft of a bill once said that and a newspaper once reported about the draft! They also continued throwing up smoke to try to obscure t
May 1
Extractive industries are deceptive, voracious and relentless. We must be vigilant and persistent. This is our watch.
This week we learned about a company looking to restart exploration for uranium mining near Canjilon, a project that could poison the entire Chama watershed, we scrambled to participate in the ludicrous seven day public comment period on the Trump administration's bid to re-open fossil fuel extraction near Chaco Canyon, and saw there was a notice that federal agencies are reversing efforts to ban mining in the Upper Pecos, potentially opening up nearly 165,000 acres for miner
Apr 10
We have some big updates on Blackstone, Project Jupiter, and Groundhog Day at the WQCC
The Hearing Examiners have agreed with intervenors that Blackstone's acquisition of $400 million PNM shares without PRC permission warrants its own hearing, which has been set to begin on April 30th. Most importantly, the Hearing Examiners have vacated the prior hearing schedule because they agreed with intervenors that the acquisition cannot move forward until an investigative hearing concludes and a determination is made as to whether Blackstone and PNM violated the law wit
Mar 25
A report back from our conversation with Karen Hao
Thank you to all those who joined our conversation with Karen Hao about the Empire of AI and how Blackstone's ambition - to use New Mexico land, water, utility customers and energy resources to cash in on the artificial intelligence gold rush - could impact our communities and environment. If there is one thing we took away from Karen's deep knowledge and important insights, it is that the apocalyptic vision of these Artificial Intelligence zealots is not inevitable. Despite
Mar 17
We filed our comment opposing Project Jupiter's air pollution permit applications seeking permission to emit more than 13 million tons of climate warming emissions per year
Today New Energy Economy formally filed our public comment on the two deceptive, so called "Micro" grid, applications filed by Acoma LLC to power Project Jupiter with a giant methane gas plant that would emit more climate destroying emissions than Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Las Cruces combined, along with hundreds of tons of additional toxic air pollutants and particulates in a community already suffering under the consequences of elevated ozone and nitrogen oxides from oil an
Mar 2
Gross misconduct at the Legislature - but the People are rising up. Blackstone beware.
We started the legislative session with a reminder that WE GOT US. It is WE, THE PEOPLE that will create the change we want to see. Nowhere was that more apparent than the juxtaposition between the hundreds of people showing up for six hours to speak against Blackstone at the PRC on Tuesday with the utter failure of the leadership in the New Mexico House and Senate to protect the people against the predicted and already extremely apparent collapse of our ecosystem as a conseq
Feb 19
Together, we must ensure that our economy, our utilities, our water, land, and resources serve the people of New Mexico
As we close out this milestone year—our 20th anniversary—we are reflecting on our mission, what we have accomplished, what remains ahead, and the extraordinary moment we are living through. The climate crisis is accelerating, and the fossil fuel industry is responding not with restraint, but with unprecedented expansion - doubling down on oil, gas, a suite of dangerous “advanced energy” schemes that threaten our water, health, and democratic rights, and threats of war in Vene
Dec 23, 2025
We filed our Brief in Chief. The people filed theirs.
Yesterday we filed our Brief in Chief in the Bernhard Capital Partners buyout case, delivering our final legal arguments recommending against the deal, and laying out the requirements the PRC should impose should they decide to do so. But today the public showed up to make their own arguments, and they did not disappoint! The people called out the dangers of private equity, the impact of likely rate increases on seniors and the working poor, and the absurdity of allowing th
Dec 11, 2025
How many data centers, each with emissions exceeding a coal-fired power plant, will Blackstone build in New Mexico?
A friend just shared with us this letter authored on December 4th by Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Richard Blumenthal questioning Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman about his intentions in buying PNM. The letter states that "private equity firms appear to be taking advantage of utilities’ regulated-monopoly status to rake in excess profits," and points out that the company itself has publicly announced that it is investing at scale to position itself as “the
Dec 9, 2025
We will not be ignored. NEE files last minute Interlocutory Appeal to PRC after Hearing Examiners fail to respond to Emergency Motion
Yesterday we filed an Interlocutory Appeal directly to the PRC after the Hearing Examiners in the Bernhard Capital Partners case failed to respond to our Emergency Motion seeking to remedy their defective rulings during the hearing in November and the PRC has already issued an order asking other parties to respond. This interlocutory appeal matters because the Hearing Examiners’ evidentiary rulings undermine the very foundation of the Commission’s constitutional and statuto
Dec 4, 2025
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