New Mexico AG to investigate ‘alleged fraudulent’ letters supporting Project Jupiter data center
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez opened an investigation into allegedly fraudulent public comments supporting Project Jupiter’s air quality permit.
Probe comes after Source NM revealed residents’ names appeared on pro-data center letters without their consent.
Joshua Bowling, Source New Mexico
This article was originally published by Source New Mexico.
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez opened an investigation Thursday into allegations that written public comments supporting a pending air quality permit application for Project Jupiter, the Oracle and OpenAI data center campus under construction in Doña Ana County, were “fraudulently” submitted under residents’ names without their knowledge or consent.
Source NM reported last week that residents in three New Mexico cities said their names and email addresses were used to write public comment letters supporting the development’s air quality permit application after they were approached by canvassers wearing Project Jupiter T-shirts. Since then, several elected officials have said their names and email addresses were similarly used on letters they never wrote.
One state lawmaker, Rep. Cristina Parajón (D-Albuquerque), previously told Source NM that the supportive letter was made using her official legislative email address. She said she believes the action constitutes impersonating a government official.
Joshua Bowling
The public comment period for Project Jupiter’s air quality permit application, which was filed by developer Yucca Growth Infrastructure, ended Monday.
In a letter sent to New Mexico Environment Department Secretary James Kenney Thursday morning, New Mexico Department of Justice Chief of Civil Affairs Billy Jimenez wrote that his office has received several complaints about the pro-Project Jupiter letters.
“We have reason to believe that an unknown, but potentially substantial number of the comments were fraudulently submitted without the consent or knowledge of the individuals named,” Jimenez wrote. “Given the seriousness of these complaints, our office has opened an investigation. Protecting the integrity of the permitting process is essential to maintaining public trust, especially considering the scale of the project Yucca Growth is pursuing.”
Jimenez requested that NMED officials share any information they have regarding the matter and cooperate fully with the attorney general’s investigation.
“Our goal is to quickly determine the validity of these complaints and ensure that any necessary corrective actions are taken,” he wrote. “The Department should carefully review and scrutinize the public comments being submitted in this permit matter in light of these issues.”
In an email to Source NM, state Environment Department spokesperson Drew Goretzka said that the department will “work alongside” the NMDOJ’s investigation and takes seriously “any suggestion that the public process for Project Jupiter was manipulated.”
“NMED is reviewing the public comments submitted and believes many were submitted fraudulently,” Goretzka wrote. “Depending on what the review and investigation show, NMED is prepared to work with NMDOJ to pursue appropriate civil or criminal action against those responsible. NMED is committed to the integrity of the public comment process and requires public comments be submitted honestly and in good faith.”
The New Mexico Department of Justice encourages residents whose names have appeared on public comment letters without their consent to contact the department through its online complaint portal or by phone at 505-490-4060.
In a statement, Torrez said it’s paramount to ensure that “every voice is authentic” in the public participation process.
“If individuals or organizations attempted to manipulate the public comment process through fraudulent submissions, we will investigate those actions thoroughly and hold responsible parties accountable,” he said.
In a statement to Source NM Thursday afternoon, an Oracle spokesperson wrote that the company supports Torrez’s investigation and is “ready to work with his office to ensure the integrity of the public comment process.”
“We review every comment where authenticity is questioned and will continue to actively investigate each instance that is raised,” the spokesperson wrote. “It is in everyone’s best interest to ensure that only legitimate public input is part of the public record. Any improper conduct should be addressed, but it should not overshadow or undermine the thousands of residents who have participated honestly and in accordance with the public comment process.”
Joshua Bowling is a senior reporter for Source New Mexico. He's reported in New Mexico, where he broke stories of lavish spending at Western New Mexico University and more, since 2022.
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