Data centers, and their strain on local resources, have become one of the most important issues for Americans this year.
In New Mexico, several counties have already passed temporary data center moratoriums, and on Aug. 23 the New Mexico Supreme Court paused permitting for Project Jupiter, the controversial Oracle and OpenAI data center in Doña Ana County.
On Sept. 2, the Albuquerque Journal published a poll conducted by Research & Polling Inc. that shows New Mexicans overwhelmingly support pausing new data center development.
According to the poll, 75% of likely voters support legislation that would pause data center development in New Mexico until standards for regulating new data centers are established, while 12% oppose a pause.
“An absolute mandate”
In July, four Democratic lawmakers announced plans to introduce a statewide data center moratorium during the 2027 legislative session.
In a joint statement shared with Courier New Mexico, state Reps. Eleanor Chávez (D-Albuquerque), Micaela Lara Cadena (D-Mesilla), and Angelica Rubio (D-Las Cruces) called the recent polling an “absolute mandate” for their proposal.
“The polling released this week supports what our communities have been saying for months. New Mexicans oppose data centers, not just in Doña Ana County, where Oracle and Project Jupiter have botched the project every step of the way, but in other parts of the state as well,” the lawmakers said in their statement.
The joint statement also referenced a survey conducted by Chavez in her Albuquerque House District 26, that the lawmakers said “showed that 61% of her constituents would support a data center ban, not just a moratorium.”
State Sen. Carrie Hamblen (D-Las Cruces), one of the moratorium’s sponsors, said she plans to hold town halls throughout the state while drafting legislation.
“I’m not surprised to see such widespread opposition to the building of data centers, but this poll puts into perspective how concerned New Mexicans are about rushing these data center projects through,” Hamblen wrote in a statement shared with Courier New Mexico.
Who’s pushing the statewide moratorium
The poll’s breakdown shows that opposition to data centers cut across regions and demographics. Not even political parties divided voters on the issue: 71% of Democrats, 70% of independents, and 55% of Republicans oppose large-scale data centers.
On Aug. 31, President Trump came out in support of new AI data centers, saying communities that don’t want them would “end up being backwards and poor.”
But in New Mexico, 63% of Trump supporters want a statewide data center moratorium, according to the Albuquerque Journal poll.
“New Mexicans care about their land, air, and water, and they don’t want those things sold to out-of-state corporations who only care about making money and will walk away when they have sucked us dry,” wrote Chavez, Lara Cadena, and Rubio in their statement.
“Yesterday morning’s news made it clear: the concerns about data centers are felt across the state and Santa Fe needs to pay attention.”
