New Mexico Supreme Court Halts Oracle's $165 Billion Project Jupiter Well Drilling
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · Aug 26
New Mexico Supreme Court Halts Oracle's $165 Billion Project Jupiter Well Drilling
3 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · Aug 26
Summary
Sunday's order stopped authorization to use water from a new well for construction of Oracle's Project Jupiter until a legal challenge is resolved.
The halt followed an emergency petition from the Center for Biological Diversity, which challenged state approval for drilling a well to supply millions of gallons to the data center complex.
Water fears have sharpened because drought has hammered New Mexico: stretches of the Rio Grande have dried up, and the state's largest reservoir is at 1.3% capacity.
Oracle says the border-area project would bring $4.7 billion in taxes, more than 7,000 construction jobs and 1,500 long-term jobs, while investing $50 million in local water systems.
The ruling lands amid a broader bipartisan backlash to AI data centers, with communities and officials across states increasingly resisting projects over water, power and land use.