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Oracle’s revised plan for Project Juniper is slightly better but here’s why we still need a statewide moratorium [1]

['Kelli Anne Busey', 'Dan K', 'Crimson Quillfeather', 'Thom Hartmann']

Date: 2026-08-08  

Across the state line in Pecos County Texas, Amazon is financing a massive gas power plant for three AI centers that could become the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.

The average Texan in that Republican-led state had limited say or knowledge of the matter.

But here in New Mexico we do.

Project Juniper didn’t “listen”. They pulled all the punches to sway public opinion with non stop ads by local unions who support the AI center. The proposed statewide moriturum on new AI center construction to be taken up during the 2027 legislative session is what got their attention.

And it’s likely why construction at the Project Juniper plant is ongoing at breakneck speed in an apparent effort to beat the clock.

Any cooperate fool worth their weight in New Mexican chile wouldn’t have planned an AI center using evaporative cooling in a desert state like New Mexico, especially since we are experiencing a historical drought.

Some Factoids:

The evaporative cooling system that was originally planned would have used between 1 and 5 million gallons of potable water daily.

The Project Jupiter flyer states that they will use a fuel cell system that only requires fill once with “non-drinkable” water, then recycle it. It fails to mention 168,000 gallons of water per year would be needed for long-term upkeep and fuel cell maintenance or the toxic chemicals that would be returned unfiltered to our water supply.

“Closed-loop Cooling” Is a Marketing Gimmick. Project Juniper is touting their use of closed-loop cooling system that “consume zero water” (meaning that none of the water withdrawn is discharged back into the environment). However, this is just clever advertising.

Closed-loop systems can use either air cooling (requiring giant fans) or evaporation to some degree, and it’s not uncommon for them to lose 25% of their water volume per month.

The new plans project annual emissions of about 10.1 million tons of greenhouse gases per year, a decrease from the previous plan, which projected 14 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year.

10.1 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions is roughly equivalent to the annual emissions of about 2.2 million typical gasoline-powered passenger vehicles. To put that into context, approximately 1.75 million gas-powered vehicles operate in New Mexico. So we are talking about more than doubling the greenhouse emissions yearly. Given the decline in the local fauna and flora and global warming that is a significant environmental concern.

I’m pretty sure their AI “listened” as I published article decrying Project Juniper and that is why that flyer ended up on my door and none of my neighbors abodes.

AI has become a part of our lives. However it can’t be allowed to run roughshod over us. That why I support the proposed moratorium. It will give us time we need to get answers from Oracle and make an educated decision.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/8/8/800081536/community/o/

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