Six months of questions have not shown that a data center is worth the risk to Raton.
By Roger M. Rael | The Raton Range
RATON, N.M. — Six months ago, Raton agreed to listen. The City Commission approved a nonbinding memorandum of understanding with Atterix LLC to study whether Raton could support an advanced digital infrastructure project, potentially beginning with a data center in the former Kmart building. That study period has expired, and after months of meetings, public debate, and questions from residents, Raton still does not have the answers it should demand before considering a project of this magnitude. We do not have a final publicly vetted number for water consumption. We do not have a complete accounting of the electrical infrastructure required or who would pay for it. We do not have a firm number of permanent local jobs or a clear calculation showing what Raton would gain after infrastructure costs and possible incentives are considered. Those are not minor details. Those are the deal. The project discussed publicly could begin at approximately 5 megawatts of electrical demand, with later phases potentially reaching 50 megawatts. For a community the size of Raton, those numbers matter. Residents should never be expected to shoulder the cost of substations, transmission equipment, or other improvements constructed primarily for a massive private customer. If a company needs the infrastructure, the company should pay for it. Period. Then there is water. Northeastern New Mexico understands drought better than most places in America. Ranchers and residents have raised legitimate concerns about protecting a resource that cannot simply be manufactured when conditions turn dry. Before any data center is approved, Raton should know exactly how many gallons it would consume each day and each year, what cooling system it would use,, and what happens during drought restrictions. Until those answers are written into enforceable agreements, the answer should be no. The jobs question is equally important. Raton needs economic development desperately, but economic development should mean more than a giant investment figure attached to specialized equipment. It should mean permanent jobs, good wages, local contractors, and measurable benefits for the people who actually live here. How many permanent positions would there be? How many could be filled by Raton residents? What would they pay? Those answers should come before approval, not afterward. Residents have repeatedly voiced concerns about water, electricity, generators, noise, and quality of life, while others have argued that Raton should at least examine every opportunity for economic development. That debate was worth having. Raton listened. Raton studied. Now the burden belongs to the developer. Raton does not have to prove why it should protect its resources. A developer must prove why this community should risk them. This newspaper is not against technology, investment, or new business. Raton needs all three. But we need development that leaves this community stronger than it found it. Bring manufacturing. Bring housing. Bring medical services. Bring telecommunications. Bring companies that employ our children and rebuild our tax base. But do not ask Raton to gamble its water, electrical system, or financial future on promises that have not been backed by hard numbers. Any data center seeking to locate here should pay its own infrastructure costs, accept enforceable water limits, protect existing utility customers, meet strict noise and generator requirements, and provide financial guarantees for eventual closure or decommissioning. If those requirements make the project impossible, then the project was never right for Raton to begin with. Six months was enough time to ask questions. What has not emerged is a convincing reason for this community to take the risk. Until somebody can prove that a data center will give Raton more than it takes, the answer should be no. Our water. Our power. Our town. Raton comes first.
