New Mexico environmental groups seek federal regulators to deny pipeline for Project Jupiter
—Danielle Prokop, Source New Mexico
Several New Mexico environmental groups on Monday filed a formal challenge with federal regulators, urging a more exhaustive review of a proposed 17-mile gas pipeline to fuel a controversial data center in Southern New Mexico.
The protest marks the latest objection lodged against the $60-million “Green Chile Project,” which would pipe 400,000 dekatherms of gas from El Paso daily to the private power plants fueling the proposed Project Jupiter, according to documents filed with the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Monday was the final day to file a challenge or submit public comment.
In a Jan. 29 application to federal regulators, Dallas-based developer Energy Transfer — which owns Transwestern Pipeline Company — asked FERC regulators to expedite the process to approve the project, seeking to break ground in April in order to complete the project by August.
Last month, state regulators denied permits to develop segments of the pipeline and other infrastructure on 0.63 miles of state trust lands in Doña Ana County. Public lands officials told Source NM at the time that approving applications “would not be in the best interest of the state’s trust,” and barred construction.
One consequence of that decision, New Mexico environmental groups argued Monday, is that the developers must present a new route to federal regulators, and analyze the civil, environmental and cultural impacts, as well as cost for that route.
Energy Transfer Vice President for Corporate Communications Vicki Granado said in a statement to Source NM the company will “continue to work with FERC so all necessary requirements are met as we move through this process.”
The objections raised by attorneys for the Center for Biological Diversity, Sierra Club and Food & Water Watch said that any approval by federal regulators to fast-track the process would be “premature and inappropriate,” and would violate federal law.
“Transwestern’s efforts to fast-track this proposed pipeline without environmental review are inappropriate given the massive impacts and uncertain future of the sole client it would serve, the Project Jupiter data center,” said Morgan O’Grady, a staff attorney at the Western Environmental Law Center, who helped write the motion to intervene.
State decision-making on the project also remains pending. New Mexico environmental officials pushed back a decision on air quality permits for the twin gas-fired power plants to July, in part to accommodate requests from southern New Mexico lawmakers to hold a public hearing.
The uncertainty of the state’s upcoming decisions and objections by the community to the project should be “reason enough” for FERC to reject the pipeline, Camilla Feibelman, director at the Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter, told Source NM.
“Overall, we are talking about a project that stands to essentially wipe out seven years of progress on reducing our greenhouse gas emissions and trying to protect New Mexico from drought and extreme heat,” Feibelman said. “To have this huge-scale project potentially sapping up water, its emission and piping in gas to feed that big demand seems counter to what New Mexico needs right now.”
Rio Rancho voters to pick next mayor
—Gregory Hasman, Albuquerque Journal
Rio Rancho mayoral candidates — District 4 City Councilor Paul Wymer and ward chair of the Sandoval Democratic Party Alexandria Piland — made their final pitches to voters and thanked supporters as they await their fates on Tuesday.
“I feel like I’ve got a real shot at this and feel the citizens are behind me,” Piland said. “I believe it will be a majority of the citizens that will be behind me tomorrow and I’m looking forward to getting to work.”
In the March 3 election, Wymer and Piland finished first and second with 45% and 27% of the vote, respectively, according to the New Mexico Secretary of State’s website. Because no one received a majority of the vote, the race went to a runoff that will wrap up Tuesday.
The winner will replace three-term Mayor Gregg Hull, who has held the position since 2014 and is not seeking reelection. He is currently campaigning for the Republican nomination in the New Mexico gubernatorial race.
While the race is nonpartisan, each candidate has received endorsements from both major political parties. Wymer has been endorsed by the Republican Party of New Mexico and the Republican Party of Sandoval County. Piland, on the other hand, said she received several endorsements including from U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-New Mexico.
If elected on Tuesday, she said she wants to tackle infrastructure issues and increase communication between the city and residents, “making sure it’s a dialogue, not a monologue.”
“If they know that we’re going to be out there and we’re going to be talking to people (and) hear their concerns and needs then they will feel like they’re more invested in the city,” Piland said.
Attempts were made to reach Wymer for comment, but he did not respond as of Monday evening. However, he has used social media to make last-minute pitches to prospective voters and thank supporters.
“I’m truly humbled by the encouragement, conversations, and belief in our vision for Rio Rancho,” Wymer said in one post. “I’m looking forward to the opportunity to serve as your mayor and continue moving our city forward.”
Voting will take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 14 different locations.
The winner will begin their term on May 1, according to the city.
NM Supreme Court affirms state House District 30 Democratic candidate can stay on primary ballot
—Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico
The New Mexico Supreme Court on Monday agreed Democrat Veronica Mireles should remain on the state House of Representatives District 30 primary ballot, where she’s challenging incumbent Rep. E. Diane Torres Velásquez (D-Albuquerque).
Rebekah Proper, an Albuquerque attorney, filed a court challenge against Mireles on March 20, alleging that when Mireles filed 13 pages of signatures to run for office, she neglected to write her name at the top of all but one of them.
But Second Judicial District Court Judge Joshua Allison on April 6 ruled that Mireles had collected more than enough valid signatures to qualify. She received at least 82 valid signatures, according to the judge’s ruling, when only 64 are required.
Proper appealed Allison’s decision to the state Supreme Court, but the Supreme Court on Monday sided with Mireles.
In a news release Monday evening, Mireles, who is also an Albuquerque attorney, celebrated the court’s ruling as a victory for democracy.
“At its core, this was an attempt to discount valid signatures and silence voters,” she said. “The courts saw through that and made clear that disenfranchisement has no place in our democracy. Every signature represents a voice, and those voices matter.”
Proper referred Source NM’s request for comment Tuesday to her attorney, David Ring, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
District 30 covers a swath of Albuquerque’s Northeast Heights neighborhood. Velásquez has represented the seat since 2025.
Suspect in custody after police shooting in Bernalillo
—Nakayla McLelland, Albuquerque Journal
Authorities say a man is in custody after getting into a shootout with officers early Tuesday morning near Bernalillo High School.
No officers were injured in shooting, according to the Bernalillo Police Department, and it is unclear if the suspect was struck by gunfire. BPD has not released the name of the suspect or said how many officers fired their weapons.
The suspect was near Bernalillo High but did not enter school grounds, according to Bernalillo Public Schools spokesperson Mikaela Maldonado.
The shooting led the district to cancel classes Tuesday and suspended Rail Runner Express service. A Facebook post from the commuter train system said passengers would instead be bused between the Downtown Albuquerque and Santa Fe Depot stations.
In a Facebook post, Bernalillo police said officers responded around 4:50 a.m. to reports of gunshots near U.S. 550 and North Hill. BPD said that officers confronted the man and chased him north of the Rail Runner station along U.S. 550. Officers lost sight of the man and cordoned off a search area.
“During the search for the subject, officers located him, at which point a firearm was pointed at officers,” BPD said. “Officers engaged the suspect with gunfire.”
A gunfight ensued between him and police, according to BPD. Around 7:10 a.m., the man was taken into custody. No other details were released.
Democratic NM governor candidate Haaland raises millions more than Bregman ahead of June 2 primary
—Joshua Bowling, Source New Mexico
Former U.S. Interior Secretary and New Mexico governor candidate Deb Haaland in the last six months raised nearly four times as much money as her opponent, Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman, as the two Democrats prepare to compete for the party’s nomination in the June 2 primary election.
Monday marked the deadline for candidates to file campaign finance reports that detail the last six months of fundraising efforts. Haaland’s campaign finance report showed that she raised more than $4.1 million in that time period. By comparison, Bregman’s campaign finance report showed he raised more than $1.2 million in the same time period.
The Secretary of State’s website posted many candidates’ campaign finance reports shortly after receiving them ahead of Monday’s deadline. Haaland’s did not properly load until nearly 2 p.m. Tuesday — and the report was nearly 13,000 pages long. The office, last October, told Source Haaland’s donation records had overwhelmed its system.
Since launching her bid for New Mexico’s highest elected office, the Haaland campaign said it raised about $11.1 million and still has more than $4.3 million on hand. Bregman’s filings show he raised a total of about $3.7 million and has about $853,000 left. That gives Haaland a nearly five-to-one advantage over Bregman in terms of cash on hand.
“I understand how hard it is to earn a dollar — and I appreciate everyone who believes in my vision for New Mexico and has supported my campaign for governor,” Haaland, who has spoken on the campaign trail about her experience as a working single mother, said in a statement. “As the most experienced candidate, I will stand up to Donald Trump, protect New Mexicans from harmful ICE policies, and lower costs so families can afford both rent and groceries in the same month.”
Her campaign said in a statement that more than 23,000 contributions came from New Mexicans.
While Haaland outperformed Bregman nearly three-to-one at the Democratic pre-primary convention in March and has consistently raised more money, a spokesperson for Bregman’s campaign said more of his support comes from New Mexico donors.
Spokesperson Joanie Griffin in an email to Source NM said she believes more than 80% of Haaland’s donations came from outside New Mexico. Approximately 20% of Haaland’s reported campaign contributions in her report last October came from New Mexico residents, with the rest coming from nearly every state in the U.S., and a healthy chunk from her congressional campaign account.
“Elections aren’t decided by who starts with the most money. They’re decided by who connects with voters and earns their trust. Eighty percent of our donors are from New Mexico, and Sam is building a broad, statewide coalition rooted in working families, small businesses and New Mexicans who are frustrated with the status quo and politics as usual,” Griffin wrote. “We’ve raised nearly $4 million and that’s something to be proud of. Sam isn’t a celebrity or a national figure with built-in networks. That support has been earned, piece by piece, from people who believe in his record and his leadership.”
Republicans post smaller fundraising figuresThe three Republicans running to be New Mexico’s next governor reported smaller fundraising efforts in their Monday reports.
Public relations professional Doug Turner reported raising nearly $503,000 in the last six months. In a statement, he said he has more cash on hand than both of his opponents combined.
“What we’ve built in 12 weeks is just the beginning,” Turner said in a statement. “This is a clear sign that our message of cutting personal and gross receipts taxes, fixing education, and making our communities safe is resonating with New Mexicans. Our campaign is igniting a powerful coalition that stretches from our largest cities to our smallest communities.”
Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull, who won 55% of the delegates at the Republican pre-primary convention, raised nearly $145,000 in the last six months, according to his campaign finance report. Former state cabinet secretary and hospital executive-turned cannabis CEO Duke Rodriguez reported raising just more than $501,000 — though his report shows $500,000 of that came from Rodriguez himself.
Wester criticizes Trump for post about Pope Leo - Olivier Uyttebrouck, Albuquerque Journal
President Donald Trump's Sunday night social media attack on Pope Leo XIV suggests that the president views religion as a "political cudgel" rather than an instrument of peace, Santa Fe Archbishop John Wester said Monday.
Trump on Sunday unleashed a lengthy post criticizing the pope as "WEAK on crime, and terrible for foreign policy," and calling on Pope Leo to end his criticisms of the president's military actions in Iran and Venezuela.
"The pope has every right to speak about peace and dialog and discussion to solve our problems rather than going to war or using power or might or violence," Wester said Monday in a phone interview.
"If people don't want to hear it, that's their prerogative," Wester said. "But the pope has the obligation and the responsibility to proclaim the Gospel in the public square, and he does it well.”
Wester also said Trump's 334-word social media tirade, posted at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, "was filled with falsehoods and unsubstantiated accusations" such as his comments that Pope Leo is "Weak on Crime, Weak on Nuclear Weapons."
"It all boils down to ... whether you view religion through the lens of power or through the lens of morality," Wester said. "Religion is not meant to be a political cudgel. It's meant to be an invitation to respond to God's love for us by loving God and loving our neighbor and all that that implies."
Wester also said Pope Leo has shown his support for peace as a former missionary who spent more than two decades in Peru. "I think his life certainly indicates that his ministry is one that is dedicated to peace."
The first U.S.-born pope has become a vocal critic of the Iran war and used his Easter message to called on leaders to "abandon every desire for conflict, domination and power."
Trump told reporters outside the Oval Office on Monday that he would not apologize for his attacks on Pope Leo, saying "I'm just responding to Pope Leo. There's nothing to apologize for. He's wrong."
Wester is one of many Christian leaders who has pushed back against Trump's attack, including Pope Leo himself. On his flight to Algeria on Monday, Pope Leo told journalists, "I have no fear of the Trump administration speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I am here to do, what the Church is here to do. I don't want to get into a debate with Trump."
Wester said Pope Leo's criticism appears to be getting under the president's skin.
"I think the president's post kind of indicates that perhaps the pope is getting to the heart of the matter, and the president doesn't like that," Wester said, suggesting that Pope Leo's comments are making Trump "feel a little uncomfortable and defensive."
"I guess certain people, when they think they're the center of the universe, they think everything revolves around them. But that's just not true," he said.
New Mexico Republicans' headquarters vandalized - Nakayla McClelland, Albuquerque Journal
The Republican Party of New Mexico had its headquarters vandalized after a rock was thrown through the window of the Albuquerque building over the weekend.
“I am enraged and flabbergasted that this continues to be something we deal with,” said GOP Chairwoman Amy Barela in a statement posted on Facebook. “Someone could have been seriously injured as a result of this senseless act of political violence.”
Employees were not in the office in the 5100 block of San Francisco NE when the incident occurred and it is unknown exactly when it happened, according to GOP executive director Leticia Muñoz. Staff were unaware of the vandalism until they walked into the office early Monday morning and saw the damage, she said.
In a video sent to the Journal, a fist-sized rock was shown on the ground with shards of glass on the floor and table of the building. A candle and various office supplies appeared to have been scattered around the office.
Muñoz said surveillance footage captured a man walking near RPNM headquarters over the weekend, but she was unsure if that was the only time a person had been near the building throughout the weekend.
“We’re still going through some of the cameras to see if there’s anyone else and the FBI is coming in a little bit so they can ask the businesses across the street,” she said.
Muñoz said that while she was unsure of the person’s motives, she believed the vandalism was an act of political violence.
“I think people think we’re going to be so scared that we’re going to stop doing the work that we do,” she said. “We know it’s hate; we know it’s derangement. We know that it can be a dangerous job, especially after the fire bomb, but we’re not going to be deterred from doing our work.”
Muñoz was referring to an arson attack at the headquarters a year ago, which led to criminal charges.
The Democratic Party of New Mexico issued a statement in response to the incident, saying that they were “very concerned that another act of vandalism occurred at the Republican Party of New Mexico headquarters.”
“Having recently experienced our office being vandalized ourselves, we know how troubling this is,” DPNM wrote in a statement posted on Facebook. “Our hearts are with the RPNM team today. We hope whoever is responsible is found and held accountable.”
In February, DPNM had its headquarters broken into after a person smashed through the front door and took multiple items from the building.
In March 2025, the RPNM entryway was destroyed after an alleged arsonist started a fire and painted “ICE=KKK” on the side of the building.
The alleged arsonist, Jamison Wagner, was charged with two counts of malicious damage or destruction of property by fire or explosives and faces up to 20 years in prison per count if convicted. He was accused of vandalizing the RPNM office and a Tesla showroom.
Court sets trial in NM State Ethics Commission suit against former WNMU president - Joshua Bowling, Source New Mexico A New Mexico judge scheduled a jury trial for next summer in the State Ethics Commission’s lawsuit against former Western New Mexico University President Joseph Shepard.
The Commission sued Shepard last year and accused him of taking money intended for Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant construction projects and instead using it to build a patio near his on-campus house where he could host a welcome event for his daughter’s wedding. Shepard resigned from his post as university president in late 2024 after news reports and the Office of the State Auditor detailed how he and other university officials used taxpayer money on international trips and luxury furniture.
First Judicial District Court Judge Francis Mathew last week ordered both sides to participate in mediation or settlement talks by Dec. 28. If that does not resolve the dispute, a trial will begin on June 28, 2027, court records show.
Lawyers for the commission and for Shepard did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Shepard also faces a legal challenge from the New Mexico Department of Justice and Attorney General Raúl Torrez. Source NM previously reported that the attorney general’s case against Shepard and the university, which was filed in January of 2025, would begin mediation early this year. Court records show, though, that such talks have apparently been slowgoing.
A joint status report filed earlier this month said that a full-day mediation session with Judith Nakamura, a former chief justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court, and Kent Walz, a former editor of the Silver City Daily Press and the Albuquerque Journal, “produced no resolution.”
The university’s Board of Regents last month hired a new president. J. Dean Reed, the board’s treasurer, at the time told Source NM that university officials had to “earn back the trust of everyone.”
NM State Land Office announces 60,000 acres of state trust land protected from development - Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico
The state Land Office and New Mexico Land Conservancy announced Monday they’d entered into an agreement to protect more than 60,000 acres in southern New Mexico from future large developments for the next 75 years.
Under the agreement, known as a “conservation easement,” the New Mexico Land Conservancy will pay the State Land Office to protect a roughly 100-square-mile parcel of land in Socorro and Torrance counties known as Turkey Ridge. Early last year, the conservancy entered and the Land Office agreed to protect an adjacent, 60,000-acre parcel known as Chupadera Mesa.
The combined 120,000-acre parcel is the second biggest property protected by a conservation easement in New Mexico, according to the State Land Office. The largest is the Armendaris Ranch, owned by billionaire philanthropist Ted Turner, also in southern New Mexico.
Joey Keefe, a spokesperson for the State Land Office, told Source NM on Monday that the Conservancy will pay the Land Office roughly $3.2 million for the easement, an amount that represents how much the Land Office would have received had the property been leased to developers to construct large, obtrusive projects like wind turbines, for example, he said.
The funding will go toward New Mexico education and other public institutions, according to the Land Office.
The agreement does not affect existing grazing leases in the area, and it allows the nearby officials at the nearby White Sands Missile Range to continue testing and training missions nearby, according to a news release Monday from the State Land Office.
In a news release Monday, Brian Knight, the range’s Environmental Division chief, said the agreement safeguards “vital testing airspace while providing permanent protection for the cultural heritage and natural beauty of the Land of Enchantment.”
Keefe told Source NM on Monday that the agreement shows the benefit of allowing state or federal entities tasked with overseeing public lands to place conservation on an equal footing with oil and gas extraction as beneficial uses.
On a federal level, the Interior Department last September announced it intended to rescind the “Public Lands Rule,” which ensured conservation of public lands received due consideration along with mining, timber, grazing, recreation or other uses on federal public lands.
But in New Mexico, Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard continues to value conservation as one of many valid uses of state lands, Keefe said.
“It’s something that not a lot of states are doing,” he said. “It’s just kind of a cool approach to conserving state lands and ensuring that beneficiaries get some payment for it.”
Taos inaugural Community Action Fair set for April 14 - Taos News
Taos United, along with other organizations, will host a Community Action Fair in northern New Mexico on Tuesday.
The Taos News reports organizers plan for this year’s fair to be the first iteration of an annual event.
The event is designed to help connect volunteers with local service-based organizations. In a press release, organizers said the event is an opportunity for locals to answer the question: “How can I help my community?”
Nearly 30 local nonprofits and service-based organizations will be on site.
Participating groups address issues including food insecurity, housing, healthcare access, freedom of speech, arts and creativity, social service access, animal welfare, youth and elder services, education access, environmental protection, and veteran services.
The fair is scheduled for 4-7 p.m. Tuesday at Bataan Hall, located at 121 Civic Plaza Dr. in Taos.