Burning Man continues to push forth with lawsuit against the U.S. Federal Government

by: Rugby Scruggs Feb 24, 2020

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At the end of 2019, Burning Man‘s operating company Black Rock City LLC publicly announced they intended to sue the United States Bureau of Land Management for “raises in fees and inflated and unnecessary costs on [Black Rock City] without providing adequate justification.” That lawsuit is now officially moving forward.

Black Rock LLC’s payments to the Bureau of Land Management since 2015 total over $18 million, and fees have increased from $1.3 million to $3 million between 2011 and 2019. Though Black Rock LLC has long pushed back against the increases, and reportedly appealed them in previous years, this is the first time they are attempting legal action. They released a statement saying:

“BLM has been charging our organization for unreasonable costs related to the annual Burning Man event in Northern Nevada. Burning Man Project has been seeking IBLA relief from these costs for nearly four years, and the IBLA has unreasonably denied that relief in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act. This case is our attempt to break this cycle.“

Suing the Federal Government is a marathon of a task. A win, however, will provide relief and sustainability for organizers and Burners for years to come. Ticket prices have already undergone a fair price increase in recent years along with increased fees from the government.

Photo credit: Andy Barron / AP