Blade
04-29-2006, 10:45 AM
You've probably all seen this, but juuuust in case...
(the link also has charts)
****************************************************
http://burningman.com/news/blm_news_06.html
CALL TO ACTION: VOICE YOUR OPINION TO THE BLM ABOUT ARBITRARY AND UNJUSTIFIED FEE INCREASES
(posted 4/28/2006)
Have you ever wondered how much money Burning Man pays to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to use the Black Rock Desert? Have you ever wondered where all that money goes? Would you like to give the BLM your opinion about how to use those public funds to better serve the public? Well, not only is this your chance; but it's also your right. Moreover, we ask that you make it your duty.
Each year we submit our Operating Plan, and each year the BLM replies with an Environmental Assessment (EA) and stipulations. This results in a signed permit, which puts us in a position of supporting and following the stipulations. For 10-years we've worked with the BLM and successfully negotiated stipulations. In most cases the stipulations were born from our own initiative in the Operating Plan we submit with our permit request form. Some of you may remember our permit initially being returned and not processed in 1998. At that time we waged a serious campaign with the BLM, and this included a call to action via the JRS. The BLM was flooded with 500 letters that they are required to painstakingly file and catalog. This action by the Burning Man participant base when there were less than 10,000 on the JRS was a significant part of the push that eventually caused the local district manager to relent and process the permit. By an ironic twist of fate that local district manager left the area for several years, but returned recently to fill the vacancy as the Nevada State Director for the BLM.
Unfortunately, this year's permit stipulations aren't going as smoothly as they have in the past. Suggested modifications could cost us in excess of $200,000 in 2006 alone. Here's where we're at right now. The BLM has different options for charging users of public land. After experimenting with some of these methods, the BLM settled upon a method that is simple to calculate, maximizes funds for the Black Rock Desert National Conservation Area (NCA), and is not too much of a financial burden on Burning Man or its participants. Most of you know the BLM requires $4 per person per day for the use of the federally owned land. For the past several years this method has yielded over $700,000 annually for the BLM. The BLM in turn uses this money to pay for costs associated with Burning Man. The remainder goes towards stewardship of the NCA land itself.
Since 1998 BLM law enforcement has taken an increasingly larger piece of the pie. (See Chart 1.) In 2005 over $500,000 went to law enforcement related costs. From 1998 to 2004 the cost of law enforcement astronomically increased 616%. In stark contrast population growth in Black Rock City during this period has only been slight, and has even tapered off in the last couple of years. What's more startling is the fact that the already low incidence of crime in Black Rock City has not significantly increased, and has in fact dropped in some of those years. (See Chart 2.)
WE NEED YOUR HELP...NOW!
Charts: http://burningman.com/news/blm_news_06_graphs.html
So what's the need for all this excess law enforcement? We asked that same question almost a year ago in a report we submitted to the BLM. Although the BLM sent us a cursory response, to date there has been no full accounting, nor has there been a rational reason given for the increasing costs.
Adding insult to injury this year the BLM plans to tack on even more law enforcement related costs to our bill. For years the BLM has entered into a Law Enforcement Agreement with Pershing County (the county in which Black Rock City sits) to enforce state and local laws at Burning Man. Each year the BLM has requested assistance from the Pershing County Sheriff's Office, and then reimbursed the county for its costs out of the fees that the BLM is authorized to collect from Burning Man.
The Federal Lands Recreation Enhance Act (16 U.S.C. section 6801 et seq.) prevents the BLM from double charging users of public land for expenses that the BLM incurs under other areas of law. The Federal Land Policy and Management Act (43 U.S.C. section 1733) names the BLM as the agency authorized to incur local law enforcement costs. Therefore, these costs cannot be double charged to Burning Man.
Previously, the BLM tried unsuccessfully to pass these local law enforcement costs onto Burning Man. Our legal team tells us this is an illegal way to double charge Burning Man. In 2002 a letter from three members of Congress made the BLM reconsider its attempt. In 2005 the BLM tried to get support for this arrangement from Pershing County. However, the county chose what Burning Man had to offer instead--donations to charities in Pershing County from ice-sale revenue. Now for the third time the BLM is again trying to pass these costs onto Burning Man by pretending that the Pershing County Sheriff's Office is a "vendor," like Johnny-On-The-Spot, or the company that supplies water trucks for dust abatement. Never mind that the business of enforcing laws is a GOVERNMENT function; not the responsibility of Black Rock City, LLC--a private company.
(con'td next post)
(the link also has charts)
****************************************************
http://burningman.com/news/blm_news_06.html
CALL TO ACTION: VOICE YOUR OPINION TO THE BLM ABOUT ARBITRARY AND UNJUSTIFIED FEE INCREASES
(posted 4/28/2006)
Have you ever wondered how much money Burning Man pays to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to use the Black Rock Desert? Have you ever wondered where all that money goes? Would you like to give the BLM your opinion about how to use those public funds to better serve the public? Well, not only is this your chance; but it's also your right. Moreover, we ask that you make it your duty.
Each year we submit our Operating Plan, and each year the BLM replies with an Environmental Assessment (EA) and stipulations. This results in a signed permit, which puts us in a position of supporting and following the stipulations. For 10-years we've worked with the BLM and successfully negotiated stipulations. In most cases the stipulations were born from our own initiative in the Operating Plan we submit with our permit request form. Some of you may remember our permit initially being returned and not processed in 1998. At that time we waged a serious campaign with the BLM, and this included a call to action via the JRS. The BLM was flooded with 500 letters that they are required to painstakingly file and catalog. This action by the Burning Man participant base when there were less than 10,000 on the JRS was a significant part of the push that eventually caused the local district manager to relent and process the permit. By an ironic twist of fate that local district manager left the area for several years, but returned recently to fill the vacancy as the Nevada State Director for the BLM.
Unfortunately, this year's permit stipulations aren't going as smoothly as they have in the past. Suggested modifications could cost us in excess of $200,000 in 2006 alone. Here's where we're at right now. The BLM has different options for charging users of public land. After experimenting with some of these methods, the BLM settled upon a method that is simple to calculate, maximizes funds for the Black Rock Desert National Conservation Area (NCA), and is not too much of a financial burden on Burning Man or its participants. Most of you know the BLM requires $4 per person per day for the use of the federally owned land. For the past several years this method has yielded over $700,000 annually for the BLM. The BLM in turn uses this money to pay for costs associated with Burning Man. The remainder goes towards stewardship of the NCA land itself.
Since 1998 BLM law enforcement has taken an increasingly larger piece of the pie. (See Chart 1.) In 2005 over $500,000 went to law enforcement related costs. From 1998 to 2004 the cost of law enforcement astronomically increased 616%. In stark contrast population growth in Black Rock City during this period has only been slight, and has even tapered off in the last couple of years. What's more startling is the fact that the already low incidence of crime in Black Rock City has not significantly increased, and has in fact dropped in some of those years. (See Chart 2.)
WE NEED YOUR HELP...NOW!
Charts: http://burningman.com/news/blm_news_06_graphs.html
So what's the need for all this excess law enforcement? We asked that same question almost a year ago in a report we submitted to the BLM. Although the BLM sent us a cursory response, to date there has been no full accounting, nor has there been a rational reason given for the increasing costs.
Adding insult to injury this year the BLM plans to tack on even more law enforcement related costs to our bill. For years the BLM has entered into a Law Enforcement Agreement with Pershing County (the county in which Black Rock City sits) to enforce state and local laws at Burning Man. Each year the BLM has requested assistance from the Pershing County Sheriff's Office, and then reimbursed the county for its costs out of the fees that the BLM is authorized to collect from Burning Man.
The Federal Lands Recreation Enhance Act (16 U.S.C. section 6801 et seq.) prevents the BLM from double charging users of public land for expenses that the BLM incurs under other areas of law. The Federal Land Policy and Management Act (43 U.S.C. section 1733) names the BLM as the agency authorized to incur local law enforcement costs. Therefore, these costs cannot be double charged to Burning Man.
Previously, the BLM tried unsuccessfully to pass these local law enforcement costs onto Burning Man. Our legal team tells us this is an illegal way to double charge Burning Man. In 2002 a letter from three members of Congress made the BLM reconsider its attempt. In 2005 the BLM tried to get support for this arrangement from Pershing County. However, the county chose what Burning Man had to offer instead--donations to charities in Pershing County from ice-sale revenue. Now for the third time the BLM is again trying to pass these costs onto Burning Man by pretending that the Pershing County Sheriff's Office is a "vendor," like Johnny-On-The-Spot, or the company that supplies water trucks for dust abatement. Never mind that the business of enforcing laws is a GOVERNMENT function; not the responsibility of Black Rock City, LLC--a private company.
(con'td next post)