SANTA FE, N.M. – New Mexico Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard has again denied a request to run a portion of a natural gas pipeline through state lands to service the controversial Project Jupiter data center in southern New Mexico. In a letter dated July 14, 2026, Commissioner Garcia Richard rejected a request from Energy Transfer – a subsidiary of the developer of the project – to reconsider the Commissioner’s initial denial in March 2026 of applications for two rights-of-way and one business lease to construct a 0.6-mile portion of a 17-mile natural gas pipeline through state lands.
Commissioner Garcia Richard’s letter cites several reasons why approving the applications would not be in the best interest of the state trust, including high greenhouse gas emissions related to Project Jupiter and the expected strain on the state’s water supply and natural resources.
“In New Mexico, we truly mean it when we say ‘water is life.’ We can’t live without it and we know how precious and rare it is in our dry climate,” Commissioner Garcia Richard said. “Massive AI data centers like Project Jupiter can rapidly deplete critical natural resources like water and threaten ecosystems by generating shocking levels of emissions to power their operations. I am once again rejecting Energy Transfer’s request because the proposed natural gas pipeline appears to offer very little benefit to the State Land Office’s beneficiary institutions, the local community, or New Mexico as a whole. It’s my duty to protect state trust lands and New Mexicans from proposals that appear to offer more obvious risks than benefits.”
Download a copy of the Commissioner’s letter here.
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Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard has overseen the New Mexico State Land Office since 2019. In that time the agency has earned over $15 billion for New Mexico public schools, hospitals, and universities. Over 13 million acres of state trust land are leased for a variety of uses, including ranching and farming, renewable energy, business development, mineral development, and outdoor recreation. The State Land Office has a dual mandate to use state trust land to financially support vital public institutions, while simultaneously working to protect the land for future generations.