The future of Black Rock City is at risk, and they need your support. The Bureau of Land Management has recommended untenable changes to our permit. The changes do not factor in our 28-year operational track record and commitment to environmental protection. Other changes rely on improbable or impossible conditions and many more lack sufficient data. Some of BLM’s proposals are in direct conflict with our community’s core principles and would forever negatively change the fabric of the Burning Man event, if not outright kill it.
Burning Man Project is seeking a 10-year permit from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to continue holding the Burning Man event in the Black Rock Desert of Northern Nevada, our home for the past 29 years. As part of that multi-year effort, BLM published the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Burning Man Event on March 15. Burning Man Project staff have completed a preliminary review of the 372-page Draft EIS, 11 technical reports, and problematic changes to our permit.
For the past 30 years, the Burning Man organization has worked collaboratively with the Bureau of Land Management and other agencies, the public, and event participants to be an exemplary steward of public lands, and to produce a safe and fun experience. We have strived to protect the cultural integrity of the Event while safely adapting to changing expectations and increasingly aggressive regulatory requirements. We are held to the highest standard of any permit on BLM managed lands and are proud of our environmental track record. Burning Man is now the largest Leave No Trace event in the world. Black Rock City has also become a significant economic engine, bringing $70 million into the Northern Nevada economy each year.
While we are disappointed with the Draft EIS, we remain committed to working with BLM, the Department of the Interior, and members of the public, to address the substantial deficiencies it contains. That’s where you come in.
This is a call to action. We are asking our community to help shape the future of Burning Man and Black Rock City. Members of the public have 45 days to submit feedback while the Draft EIS is under consideration. The deadline is April 29. Public input is extremely important and will affect the Final EIS, due out later this summer. Instructions for how you can share your constructive thoughts and concerns are included below. We have serious concerns with Volumes 1 and 2 of the Draft EIS, and with the Special Studies. We’re counting on you to help identify errors or overlooked information and convey them to BLM.
Read more here.