The government wants to build a 10-mile fence to keep the Burners in a pentagon-shaped concentration camp.
The Burning Man Project wants to increase the capacity of Black Rock City to 100,000 people.
Locals object because of the trash and damage to roads and property (see Leave No Trace Has Become “Hide the Evidence”).
The BLM and local cops want more resources to handle a large population.
BMorg says the BLM’s demands would cost $10 million, and lead to “substantial” increases in ticket prices – which are already more than substantial for an event where the punters have to bring all the entertainment and facilities themselves.
The 10-year Permit for the event is at stake. This is needed for the largest event on Federal land to continue.
SFGate has a great article on it here
Among the contested changes suggested by BLM in the draft report, according to the Burning Man website, were:
— Federal oversight over certain parts of Burning Man‘s operations
— 10 miles of either plastic or cement barriers around the perimeter fence
— Dumpsters within the city and along Gate Road for the 80,000 participants
— BLM-approved private security funded by Burning Man who would be screening for weapons and drugs for anyone entering Black Rock City.
One suggestion, labelled as “brazen” in the Burning Man staff statement, was that the group would pay for the maintenance of County Road 34, which takes participants to the entrance…
Further complicating matters is the fact that organizers are seeking a 10-year permit with BLM to continue to hold the event at Black Rock Desert, which has been “home” to Burners for 27 years. The environmental impact statement was done in part to look at the potential outcome if the event grows to hold up to 100,000 people, versus its current attendee numbers of 70,000, or not holding the event at all.
The field manager for the Bureau of Land Management’s Black Rock Field Office said its suggestions are “attempts at trying to solve problems” in comments to the Gazette-Journal, emphasizing that the report is not yet finalized
Source: SFGate
You can also read all about it in the Reno Gazette-Journal.
BMorg’s response is, predictably, to raise ticket prices. No matter that they are able to sell another 30,000 more tickets. At current VIP Price of $1400, that is an extra $42,000,000 revenue per year – plus handling fees, vehicle passes, and all that jazz.
Initial cost estimates for BLM’s recommended stipulations are nearly $10 million per year and would raise ticket prices substantially. Importantly, BLM would benefit financially from these increased expenses through their existing requirements to take a percentage of a permit holder’s gross revenue.
They couldn’t just keep ticket prices the same, and bank the extra $32 mil?
All the public documents are available from the Bureau of Land Management.
Burning_Man_Event_SRP-Draft_EIS_Vol1Burning_Man_Event_SRP-Draft_EIS_Vol2
It’s time to move Burning Man back to San Francisco. In the south east corner there is a lot of land that black people occupy. It can be bought for cheap.
See y’all at Transformus! If you come, I know we will meet – our camp will be in the adult non-music zone. No coordinates needed. Bought my tix for $200 each.
This is too big of a matter to pen a comment. It is most important of that Burners comment upon the rubbish EIS, within the meetings in Reno of 7 April, in Lovelock of 8 April, or to the BLM prior of 30 April. The BMOrg has awesome Burning Man Journal posts describing of the need to do so, and of the proper manners to do so.
My belief is of this process, by the BLM, is most unfair to Burners. The BLM does not desire to do a public comment meeting near to San Francisco, in despite of the BMOrg, and near to 100,000 Burners, and prior Burners, are near to San Francisco.
It is also most unfair of the BLM that it did not consider, and do mitigation of, the dozens of comments, from Burners, within the EIS scoping meetings, in regards of the overbearing, unethical, and illegal behaviour of the police, in addendum of the exaggerations within the police reports utilized within the EIS, and, in a most unfair manner, the EIS does not state of the near to 1,000 Black Rock City Rangers, whom are on the playa purposed to serve and protect Burners, the EIS solely states of the police, of which, their near to sole purpose is to harass and abuse Burners for little amounts of drugs. In due of the BLM Agent in charge of their police pens the Environmental Health and Safety and Law Enforcement section of the EIS, this most unfair bias is what occurs.
My belief is the BLM should pen a mitigation, within the EIS, in regards of this in the manner of
Burning Man shall contract with a civil liberties organization, or civil liberties lawyers, to pen, and publish, a report in summary of illegal, or unethical, behaviour of law enforcement. Burning Man, the BLM, the PCSO, and all law enforcement must fully cooperate with this effort.
Leave the event at 70k people…or just pay the 10 Million and bank the 32 Million. Don’t be greedy BMORG.
I fully blame the BMORG for this. Their incessant drive to grow the event every larger is absolutely the catalyst for the BLM’s admittedly punitive EIS.
#Brochella Man