Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Black Rock City LLC's Burning Man Special Recreation Permit Renewal in Pershing County, Nevada, 27798 [2019-12629]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
• Bureau of Land Management

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 115 (Friday, June 14, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Page 27798]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-12629]



[[Page 27798]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLNVW03500.L51050000.EA0000.LVRCF1705210.17XMO#4500134682]


Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Black Rock City LLC's Burning Man Special Recreation 
Permit Renewal in Pershing County, Nevada

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969, as amended (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
of 1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Black Rock 
Field Office, Winnemucca, Nevada has prepared a Final Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) and by this notice is announcing its 
availability. The BLM is the lead agency in development of the Final 
EIS and will be evaluating Black Rock City LLC's (BRC) request for a 
10-year Special Recreation Permit (SRP) for the Burning Man Event in 
Pershing County, Nevada.

DATES: The BLM will not issue its Record of Decision for a minimum of 
30 days after the date that the Environmental Protection Agency 
publishes its Notice of Availability in the Federal Register. The Final 
EIS can be downloaded from the BLM website at: https://go.usa.gov/xEmSY.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions about the proposed SRP 
renewal, contact Chelsea McKinney, Burning Man Project Manager, 
telephone: (775) 623-1500, address: 5100 East Winnemucca Boulevard, 
Winnemucca, Nevada 89445.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The applicant, BRC, has applied for a 10-
year SRP under 43 CFR 2930 et seq. and has submitted a proposal to 
conduct the Burning Man event on public lands administered by the BLM 
Black Rock Field Office. BRC's proposal includes the following:
     Population increase to permit up to 100,000 total persons 
at the event;
     Expansion of the BLM Closure Order boundary by 561 acres, 
to a total of 14,714 acres;
     Creation of alternative transportation (Burner Express 
Bus/Burner Express Air);
     Expansion of the perimeter fence to 10.4 miles total 
length;
     Arrival of as many as 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 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; and
     BRC management of vendor and compliance monitoring.
    The Final EIS describes and analyzes the proposed Project's direct, 
indirect, and cumulative impacts on all affected resources. In addition 
to the Proposed Action (Alternative A), the following alternatives are 
also analyzed in the document: The Reduced Population Alternative with 
a population of 50,000 participants (Alternative B); the Alternate Site 
Alternative that moves the Event northeast of the current location 
(Alternative C); the No Population Change Alternative (Alternative D) 
would keep the population as it was in 2017 and 2018 at 80,000 
participants; and the No Permit Alternative (Alternative E).
    In December 2017, pre-scoping meetings were held in northern Nevada 
in Gerlach, Lovelock, and Reno. During those meetings the public was 
invited to submit comments regarding BRC's SRP renewal. During the pre-
scoping comment period, the BLM received 77 comment letters.
    On June 20, 2018, an initial Notice of Intent (NOI) was published 
in the Federal Register inviting scoping comments on the Proposed 
Action. The BLM received 327 scoping comment letters during the 45-day 
public scoping period. Concerns raised included impacts to air quality, 
cultural resources, environmental justice, transportation, Native 
American religious concerns, recreation, visual resources including 
Night Skies, wastes and materials (hazardous and solid), water 
resources, vegetation, wildlife, and Public Health and Safety.
    On March 15, 2019, a Notice of Availability (NOA) was published in 
the Federal Register inviting comments on the Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS). The BLM received 2,016 submissions during the 
45-day public comment period, with a total of 1,736 substantive 
comments. The Final EIS was edited in response to some of these 
substantive comments. Responses to all comments are located in Appendix 
K of the Final EIS.
    The BLM has utilized and coordinated the NEPA scoping and comment 
process to help fulfill the public involvement requirements under the 
National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) (54 U.S.C. 306108) as 
provided in 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3)--and continues to do so.
    The information about historic and cultural resources within the 
area potentially affected by the proposed Project has assisted the BLM 
in identifying and evaluating impacts to such resources in the context 
of both NEPA and the NHPA.
    The BLM has consulted and will continue to consult with Indian 
tribes on a government-to-government basis in accordance with Executive 
Order 13175 and other policies. Tribal concerns, including impacts to 
Indian trust assets and potential impacts to cultural resources have 
been analyzed in the Final EIS.

    Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7

Mark E. Hall,
Field Manager, Black Rock Field Office.
[FR Doc. 2019-12629 Filed 6-13-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-HC-P