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WINNEMUCCA, Nev.– The Bureau of Land Management would like to remind members of the public that comment on the proposed activities related to a 10-year Special Recreation Permit (SRP) for the Burning Man Event closes August 4. The BLM Winnemucca District, Black Rock Field Office, published a Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) analyzing the potential environmental effects of approving the 10-year SRP in the Federal Register on June 20, 2018.

Written comments are encouraged and may be submitted until August 4. Comments may be submitted by any of the following methods: 

• ePlanning project website under the Documents Tab: https://go.usa.gov/xnBTu
• Email: blm_nv_burningmaneis@blm.gov
• Mail: Chelsea McKinney
  Attn: Burning Man EIS – Permit Renewal
  5100 East Winnemucca Boulevard
  Winnemucca, Nevada 89445

Project information including maps may be accessed on the BLM’s e-planning system at https://go.usa.gov/xnBTu. The webpage will be updated at each phase of the EIS development.

The Burning Man Event is currently authorized up to 70,000 paid participants. Black Rock City LLC (BRC) proposes a population increase of up to 100,000 total persons. Additionally, BRC proposes the following: 

• Expansion of the BLM Closure Order boundary by 561 acres totaling 14,714 acres
• Creation of an infrastructure staging area on or near the Playa (60 x 300 ft)
• Expansion of alternative transportation (Burner Express Bus/Burner Express Air)
• Expansion of the perimeter fence to 10.4 miles total length
• Arrival of 30,000 staff and builders one week prior to opening
• Expansion of Black Rock City to 1,250 acres
• Installation of additional interactive camps
• Installation of additional large scale art pieces
• BRC DMV licensing of art cars and ADA compliant vehicles to drive on the Playa during event week
• Use of approximately 16.5 million gallons of water per year would be obtained from private groundwater wells, located at Fly Ranch owned by BRC, for dust abatement and in support of event activities.
• BRC management of vendor and compliance monitoring programs

Resources to be addressed in the analysis include: public health and safety, air quality, environmental justice, social and economic values, Native American religious concerns, recreation, cultural resources, National Historic Trails, wildlife, migratory birds, threatened/endangered and sensitive status species, soils/playa resources, invasive species and paleontology.

A reasonable range of alternatives will be developed to take a hard look at the issues identified during public scoping. Mitigation measures will be evaluated to address environmental impacts and to assure the proposed action does not result in unnecessary or undue degradation of public lands.

Federal, state and local agencies and other individuals or organizations that may be interested in or affected by BLM’s decision on the Burning Man 10-year SRP are invited to participate in the scoping process. If you do not make this deadline, you will have the opportunity during the review period of the preliminary EIS in late November of this year.  

For further information, please contact, Fernando J. Pitones Sr., Public Affairs Specialist, 775-304-1559.