20. What Should Be Public Before a Decision?
Trust cannot be built from a legal notice alone. Neighbors should be able to learn what is proposed, speak with a knowledgeable representative, and see how the plan changes in response to evidence and public concerns.
That need is immediate for Site Layer 1. In a September 18, 2026 letter, New Mexico Environment Department Secretary James Kenney said the applicant had not supplied an effective public contact or records of earlier engagement. A September 29 follow-up says Blake Marcus had since supplied direct contact information, but NMED still required meeting dates, attendees, and presentation materials. The agency also asked for a pre-application meeting and complete, transparent emissions calculations. The attached company email says representatives met virtually with Grant and Hidalgo County officials in fall 2025; the requested records were not included in the published correspondence. At an October 8 county meeting, Granite Renewables presented preliminary solar, battery, cooling, and ownership claims, and its consultant said an air application had been filed. Publishing the slides, assumptions, and agency application would let residents examine those claims. A public presentation or reported filing is not an agency approval.
Other jurisdictions are testing stronger disclosure. New Jersey’s 2026 law requires regular reports on data-center energy and water use. The EU reporting framework gathers similar measures, although publicly available data are largely aggregated. Neither system substitutes for a document a Grant County resident can use to understand this particular site.
I would start with a dated project register, available online and in a place residents can reach without internet access. It would show the current site plan and development phases; responsible companies and contacts; applications, decisions, and conditions; water and power studies; estimated versus measured impacts; and every promised remedy. Each item should identify who produced it, who reviewed it, and what remains unverified.
The register should also include comments and answers. People need to know whether a question is open, answered with a source, or outside a particular agency’s authority. A permit hearing is one venue. Earlier meetings can still affect the design, especially when a well, road, home, or culturally important place might be affected.
What a useful answer would include
A qualified company contact, a public record of meetings and answers, current source documents, independent reviews, decision dates, and a plain-language change log.
Questions worth asking
- Who can answer detailed questions for Site Layer 1 now?
- What documents changed after the original notice, and when?
- Where will water, air, sound, and fiscal studies be posted?
- Who responds to public comments and by what deadline?
- Which commitments can be enforced, by whom, and with what funding?
Sources are linked; corrections are welcome.
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