Albuquerque officials warn of impersonator backing Project Jupiter data center

Two Albuquerque elected officials said an impersonator used their identities to support Project Jupiter, the controversial data center complex in Santa Teresa, as New Mexico regulators and residents were already locked in a fight over the project’s air permit and public outreach.

The false endorsement lands in a campaign season of its own, with public trust now as much at issue as the data center itself. Residents in Albuquerque, Las Cruces and Rio Rancho have said their names showed up on identical letters urging state environment officials to approve Project Jupiter’s air-quality permit, even though they never consented to the submissions. Some said canvassers wearing Project Jupiter T-shirts approached them in public, then later sent emails thanking them for comments they insist they never intended to make.

Project Jupiter has become one of the most closely watched development fights in southern New Mexico. The plan calls for four data centers, microgrid power generation facilities and an office complex spread across more than 1,200 acres. Construction began in September 2025, and developers have said they intend to begin initial operations by the end of 2026. The permit proposal would allow fuel-cell technology to power the campus, but it would still produce more greenhouse gases than Albuquerque and Las Cruces combined, adding to concerns from environmental groups and nearby communities.

The controversy has spread beyond the permit docket. Dozens of people who expected Doña Ana County to host a town hall on Project Jupiter said they instead found a bait and switch. Four Democratic state senators from Doña Ana County later announced their own community listening session in response to the frustration, after criticizing county leaders for backing away from a June forum. A June lawsuit also alleged that Doña Ana County withheld public documents tied to Project Jupiter deliberations and emails.

For Bernalillo County residents, the impersonation is a warning about how quickly online claims can distort a development debate. When an elected official is tied to a major project, verify the statement through the official’s office account, the relevant agency docket, or a public meeting agenda before treating it as real. The New Mexico Environment Department held a public hearing on the pending air-quality permit on July 7, one day after the comment period ended, keeping Project Jupiter at the center of a widening statewide fight over data centers, land use and public accountability.