Socorro County Officials in New Mexico Agree to Vote on Data Center Moratorium

WASHINGTON, May 14, 2026 — New Mexico officials in Socorro County unanimously agreed to vote on a data center moratorium following community backlash. 

Green Data CEO Jason Bak proposed in March to build “the largest data center in the state” at 10,000 acres, but said he would be responsive to the community’s feedback. Socorro County is more than four times the size of Rhode Island.

“We don’t enter into a community unless we’re wanted,” Bak said during a March meeting with the Socorro Electric Cooperative Board of Trustees. “If the community says no, we’re out.”

More than 1,200 of the county’s estimated 16,000 residents have signed a local petition opposing the data center, and many spoke at a May 6 town hall meeting.

“My guess is when Mr. Bak came here, he was hoping to find ignorant ranchers who would give up their land in exchange for short-term gain,” said Val Thomas, whose online petition has gathered more than 4,000 signatures.  “Simple lives do not mean simple minds.”

One resident hoped a temporary moratorium became a permanent one.

“All this growth will do is make a few people rich,” county resident Allan Sauter said after the vote on May 12, adding that he hoped the project wouldn’t proceed once any approved moratorium expires. “I hope it’s not like a vampire and it comes back again to haunt us.”

Other residents took their time to thank officials for the vote, which was modified to take place before public comments began.

“It is so nice to see a county commission actually listen,” said David Mooney, a Democratic write-in candidate from Sierra County who is running against incumbent state Rep. Rebecca Dow (R-Truth or Consequences)

Officials in nearby Doña Ana County approved a hyperscale data center with a price tag of $165 billion in a closed-door meeting last year. OpenAI and Oracle publicly committed to the project after it was approved, but crucial questions on funding and water usage remain unanswered, which resulted in a transparency lawsuit filed by the New Mexico Environmental Law Center.