The ‘Choco Taco’ Standoff

In a letter to the Reno Gazette, BLM director Neil Komze said he was “surprised and upset by much of what I read.” “These reports painted a troubling portrait of government employees seeking VIP accommodations and outlandish provisions,” he wrote, adding that in March the BLM raised concerns about “20 critical health, safety, and environmental issues” and, so far, Burning Man officials have “provided adequate plans and updates for just two.”

The two sides sat down July 8 to discuss revisions to the $1 million request, which drew criticism from Nevada senator Harry Reid.

“Our goals for this meeting are to discuss options for better controlling BLM’s spiraling costs,” Burning Man spokesman Jim Graham told The Real in an email.

“We believe BLM’s costs for managing the permit should be reasonable, documented and justified – as required by BLM regulations. During this meeting we hope to begin the dialogue about ensuring that these cost guidelines are met.”

Burning Man officials are starting to get anxious about the Aug. 30 to Sept. 7 event.

With less than two months to go, BLM has not issued organizers a permit to stage the 70,000+ global gathering at Black Rock Desert, which is owned and managed by the BLM. In exchange for a permit, BLM officials are demanding their VIP government compound be catered with special freezer and refrigerator units to keep their munchies cold, stocked with drinks, candies, chips and dips.

“This is the same stuff they have for deployments in Afghanistan,” Stephen Clutter, with the Nevada state BLM office, told the Reno Gazette Journal, who broke the story.

Those comments caught the attention of both of Nevada’s senators. Reid told BLM officials in a letter “part of Burning Man’s philosophy is self-reliance, and living with the elements is part of the experience. Flush toilets and laundry facilities can be found about 10 miles away in Gerlach, Nevada, if BLM’s employees need such amenities.”

Nevada Senator Dean Heller even arranged a meeting with BLM Director Neil Kornze and requested he scale back his demands, calling the plan “a little bit over the top,” according to a representative from Heller’s office. Kornze is expected to report back to the senators later this week about the Bureau’s progress in reaching a compromise with Burning Man organizers.