Earlier this week, Oracle – the corporation behind the infamous Project Jupiter hyperscale AI data center – announced it would be putting forward $1 million to support research into the industry scheme known as “Carbon Capture and Sequestration” (CCS). 

Food & Water Watch New Mexico Organizing Manager Alexa Reynaud released the following statement: 

“Despite Oracle’s announcement, New Mexicans cannot be bought with false promises and commitments. Project Jupiter will remain widely unpopular among New Mexicans due to its impacts on the quality of life of surrounding communities and pouring money into a failed scam like carbon capture won’t change that. On top of that, a million dollars is just a drop in the bucket compared to the $165 billion tax break Project Jupiter has received. Instead of allowing these companies to push unpopular and harmful data centers on residents, New Mexico’s leaders must stop these facilities altogether.”

Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) is an industry scheme which promises to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) from fossil fuel emissions and store it underground. Despite massive investment over the past decade, CCS remains an expensive endeavor that routinely fails to deliver on emission reduction promises, while foisting additional harms and risks onto communities. In fact, research from Food & Water Watch has detailed the expensive failures of CCS and how it is an excuse to funnel yet more public money to the oil and gas industry. 

Food & Water Watch also released a report earlier this year making the urgent case for a statewide moratorium on data centers and their development in New Mexico. The report was released alongside new, shocking aerial photos that reveal the scale of Project Jupiter.