Residents in New Mexico may have just won an important victory.
At a mid-May meeting, the Socorro County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to move ahead with considering a temporary moratorium on data centers after a wave of public opposition to a proposed 10,000-acre facility in the area, according to Source NM.
The county still has to hold public meetings and collect feedback before making a final decision on the pause, but the move appears to be a major step for residents looking to have more of a say in what is built in their community.
Massive data centers can place heavy demands on local resources. Developers committing to power facilities with cleaner energy can help to address some pollution concerns. However, data centers can still strain local energy systems, use huge amounts of land, and, in many cases, draw on area water supplies to cool infrastructure.
For residents, a more considered, more transparent review process could help protect utility affordability, water security, and long-term public health while giving county leaders time to determine whether such a project could actually benefit the people living nearby.
Source NM noted that opposition in Socorro County escalated quickly after Green Data CEO Jason Bak presented plans in March to build what he said would be New Mexico's largest data center in partnership with New Mexico Tech. Bak said the project would rely on solar and nuclear power.
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But many residents were not convinced. More than 1,000 people signed an online petition calling for a moratorium, while another petition opposing the development drew more than 4,000 signatures, according to Source NM.
Meanwhile, most of the elected officials from the village of Magdalena voted to approve a resolution in opposition to the data center and its related solar project.
Taken together, these developments point to growing demands for a more cautious approach to large-scale development — one that considers environmental tradeoffs and community needs before major projects get the green light. The Socorro County Board of Commissioners' decision to move forward with a possible moratorium is also a reminder that public pressure can make a difference.
"It is so nice to see a county commission actually listen," state legislature write-in candidate David Mooney said at the mid-May commissioners meeting, according to Source NM.
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Cari Powell, who is running for the Board of Commissioners, told the outlet after the vote, "I want us to be in control and to be the ones who decide our destiny, not whoever has the most money."
"The decisions you make don't just impact Socorro," New Mexico Sen. Harold Pope, who attended the commissioners meeting, added. "They impact our entire state. … I fear that this is the new extractive industry."
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