Donald Trump’s administration is attempting to build a 10-mile, 19,000,000-pound concrete barrier around the Burning Man festival, it has been revealed.
Last month the Nevada branch of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its draft Environmental Impact Statement, which included a number of proposals that it wanted the famous week-long festival to adopt – much to organizers’ chagrin.
BLM has asked that organizers construct the concrete barrier in Black Rock desert, where the festival takes place, hire a private security force, and fill the temporary city with dumpsters.
Burning Man organizers have hit back at the BLM proposal, saying such changes would ‘forever negatively change the fabric’ of the festival ‘if not outright kill it’.
Donald Trump’s administration is attempting to build a 10-mile, 19,000,000-pound concrete barrier around the Burning Man festival (pictured in an aerial shot)
Burning Man Project estimated that BLM’s proposed changes would cost an additional $20million a year, which would raise ticket prices by nearly $300.
Organizers pointed out that this would financially benefit BLM, due to the fact it takes a percentage cut from each $400 ticket.
‘The Draft EIS does not adequately factor in the astronomical cost increases and beyond-excessive government oversight associated with BLM’s requirements,’ organizers wrote in an official statement.
‘It does not adequately factor in our operational track record or expertise and proposes instead to increase federal government agency operations exponentially in order to take over or ‘monitor’ our operations.’
Organizers argued that replacing Burning Man’s current 10-mile fence, which is designed to catch trash, with the concrete fence would be ‘logistically onerous, environmentally irresponsible, unnecessarily redundant, and prohibitively expensive’.
Last month the Nevada branch of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its draft Environmental Impact Statement, which included a number of proposals that it wanted the famous week-long festival to adopt
BLM asked organizers to construct the temporary concrete barrier in Black Rock desert, where the festival takes place, hire a private security force, and fill the temporary city with dumpsters
They said the concrete wall would block dust and wind from blowing through the festival, which would create 10 miles of dangerous dunes.
BLM claims that the fence would reduce the risks of cars coming into the festival through the fencing, an issue that organizers said doesn’t even exist.
There have been zero reports of cars attempting to illegally enter the festival through the fence in recent years, according to Mashable.
Only one road on the grounds allows safe entry to the event without getting stuck in dust, and the festival also has a security team.
‘It’s actually easier to climb over a concrete barrier than a taut 10-mile trash fence,’ one Burning Man volunteer added.
Organizers also fought back at BLM’s proposal to fill Black Rock City with dumpsters, claiming it goes against Burning Man’s core ‘Leave No Trace’ principal.
‘Leaving No Trace has been one of our core principals for over 30 years, and is the bedrock of our ethos of Radial Self-reliance: we pack everything in and pack everything out,’ they said.
Burning Man Project estimated that BLM’s proposed changes would cost an additional $20million a year, which would raise ticket prices by nearly $300
‘Our community’s resounding success in this area is largely due to the fact that there are no trash cans (or dumpsters), so participants must rely on themselves to Leave No Trace.’
‘Our history has proven that if you emphasize the LNT ethic and don’t offer on-site waste removal support resources, people won’t come to expect the organizing entity to handle their other needs as well. This is part of what pulls the community together.’
Organizers noted that staff and volunteers also clean up the nearby road after the festival and groups who perform poorly on its environmental impact assessment are banned from attending the following year.
BLM has also requested that there be private security at all portals of entry to Burning Man to screen participants, volunteers, and staff for weapons and illegal drugs.
But organizers argued that Burning Man already has a volunteer force of Black Rock Rangers, who work with local Nevada sheriffs and official BLM rangers at the festival.
They argued that BLM only wants private security because the attendees are going to Burning Man.
Burning Man organizers have hit back at the BLM proposal, saying such changes would ‘forever negatively change the fabric’ of the festival ‘if not outright kill it’
‘This BLM requirement constitutes search and seizure without just cause – the “probable cause” in this case is solely and exclusively the fact that a participant is going to Burning Man,’ organizers wrote.
‘We believe this would constitute a violation of the 4th Amendment of the US Constitution.’
They argued that the private security searches would also delay entrance times to the festival ‘by days’, rather than hours.
Last year 44 out of 80,000 attendees were arrested at Burning Man, most for drug offenses.
BLM has also asked Burning Man organizers to stop using lasers at night because it could be harmful to migratory birds, despite the fact that none appear in the summer and they do not migrate at night.
Burning Man organizers have asked its beloved Burners – which include Silicon Valley giants like Elon Musk and Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin – to protest the public proposal.