Deb Haaland has taken some hard hits over Project Jupiter. She was especially scorched by anti-Jupiter activists for taking over $85,000 in campaign contributions from developers of the giant data center in Doña Ana County and then refusing to return those contributions.

Now she is being flayed on social media for having a former campaign manager, Scott Forrester, signing up as a lobbyist for the data center funded by Oracle. Forrester had a bit of a falling out with Haaland earlier this year over his compensation and moved on from the campaign.

Usually, consultants like Forrester fly under the radar but that’s not possible for anything or anyone who comes within Jupiter’s orbit.

The project has been flagged by Wall Street after Oracle moved to absolve itself of certain payments if the project is delayed longer than anticipated. But work is well underway and hundreds of well-paying jobs are on the line. Haaland is not opposed to the center but wants "guardrails" for any future centers and, like MLG, if elected, is not expected to make any moves to shut it down.

There is a state air permit needed for the project as well as a way to get natural gas to the project, now that the State Land Office has denied the path for a proposed pipeline. The air permit is hotly debated, but if it is not issued without good cause, the state could face endless and expensive litigation.

On the denial of the pipeline, the path could be rerouted around state trust lands and built on land managed by the Feds or through private property via negotiated easements. And who’s to say that the next state land commissioner Democrat Jesus Sanchez, could not reverse the pipeline decision made by Commissioner Garcia Richard?

JUPITER'S NEXT TURN 

Project Jupiter is now spending more money on TV ads than most of the political candidates. It botched the center’s introduction with too much secrecy and now has a stable of lobbyists like Forrester, along with the massive media buy, trying to undo the damage.

Jupiter model

The outlook is favorable for Jupiter, but not without risk. The air permit will not come up for final approval until after the Nov. 3 election, lessening the political impact should the state environmental department give the go-ahead.

State legislators, like Haaland, are accepting contributions left and right from Jupiter, which gives the developers a voice in all the rooms at the Roundhouse and then some.

The thousands of workers building the center—many of them union members—making good money in a generally impoverished area, combined with the millions the development is generating in taxation and local donations, is another factor sometimes overlooked in the emotional debate over the center.

Also, there could be more pressure on Jupiter to power the facility with a boost on alternative fuel sources instead of natural gas. A compromise of some sort would not be a surprise.

The best path forward for Oracle and the other developers is total transparency—doing everything by the book and out in the open. They have the big media buy, the top-shelf lobbyists, and the powers-that-be aligned with them, but the precious public trust they violated will take more than money to heal. An authentic consideration of the state, its residents, and their future—not just gobs of money—is also called for before giant Jupiter becomes a true neighbor. 

SALARIED SOLONS? (Cont.)

We blogged Wednesday of that controversial constitutional amendment that would for the first time give salaries to state legislators. Reader Anne McKinney comes with more details on how the state's 112 lawmakers are compensated today and why she is voting no on Amendment 4: 

 Joe, the proposal would tie compensation to New Mexico’s annual median household income. Using 2024 Census data, the Legislative Finance Committee put that figure at approximately $67,800. That means an individual legislator (one person) could receive a salary approximately equal to the income of an entire median New Mexico household (frequently two or more full time wage earners). The initial annual cost is estimated by LFC to be $7.6M. 

Some comparisons may help put that number in perspective. Members of the Albuquerque City Council currently receive annual salaries of approximately $63,000 to $68,000. Bernalillo County commissioners receive about $45,000 annually, while Las Cruces city councilors receive roughly $39,000. There is another important distinction. Albuquerque city government and Bernalillo County operate year-round. Their elected officials deal continuously with budgets, zoning, public safety, roads, economic development and constituent problems. 

 The New Mexico Legislature, by contrast, meets in regular session for 60 days in odd-numbered years and 30 days in even-numbered years. Legislators certainly work outside the regular session. They attend interim committee meetings, communicate with constituents, study legislation and perform other public duties. Their work should not be measured solely by the number of days they sit in Santa Fe. But neither should the length of the legislative session be ignored when deciding what constitutes reasonable compensation. 

The proposed salary is only one part of the Legislators’ compensation package. The proposal does not reduce the other components. Legislators already receive per diem ($247) and mileage ($0.72 per mile) for legislative sessions, interim meetings and other official duties, and those payments would continue in addition to the proposed salary.  

Legislators long ago voted themselves a sweetheart retirement benefit through the Public Employees Retirement Association. Participation is optional, but PERA reports that most current legislators participate. Under the plan, a participating legislator contributes $1,000 for each year of service credit and can qualify for a lifetime pension. PERA gives the example of a legislator with 10 years of credited service receiving an annual pension of approximately $31,122 under the current formula. Notably, a legislator with 14 years service can retire and begin drawing the retirement benefit at any age and receive it for life. The bottom line is whether or not our very part time legislators should each receive a $68,000 per year increase to the compensation package they already have, and fully intend to keep. My answer is a resounding NO.

MY BOTTOM LINES 

Statewide candidates are starting to roll out their TV ads now that the calendar has turned to October. Dem Attorney General Raul Torrez has two--seen here and here. Torrez points out he has sued the Trump administration "fifty times." His opponent is Las Cruces Republican Sam Kane. . . 

A hot and heavy race down in the far southwest where Dem Raul Turrieta is putting on a show as he tries to oust Republican Rep. Luis Terrazas from the District 39 seat centered in Grant County that he  has held since 2021. Here's a video from Turrieta and one from Terrazas. The registration in the district is 44 per cent Dem, 30 for the R's and 26 independent. 

There are both high-level House contenders and the race has captivated the district. If it's a big Dem night, the assertive Turrieta could squeak in against the street-wise Terrazas. It's definitely a race that will be near the top of our watch list when we broadcast the latest Election Night results on public radio KANW 89.1 FM and kanw.com. 

Thanks for stopping by. Back here Monday with more from Campaign '26.

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