BLM defends its Burning Man requests

Federal Bureau of Land Management officials defended on Sunday their request for special housing accommodations during the annual Burning Man festival in Nevada, disputing comments by Sen. Harry Reid and others that the plans are unnecessary and extravagant. A Reno Gazette-Journal investigation broke the details of the request last week. Burning Man organizers have refused the request, saying amenities such as flush toilets, washers and dryers, showers, air conditioning and refrigerators at the bureau's on-site camp in the Black Rock Desert would cost $1 million and increase permit fees to about $5 million. Gene Seidlitz, the bureau's Winnemucca district manager, said Sunday to the Associated Press that the cost of the portable units is being "robustly exaggerated" by organizers. The compound will offer basic amenities only for top agency officials who oversee the event, he said. The number of Bureau of Land Management personnel on hand at the festival has doubled to 160 over the last five years as the peak crowd size has soared to nearly 70,000, he said. And the bureau has run out of places around the nearby town of Gerlach to house employees, he said. Most of the agency's employees stay at a motel or rental properties in the tiny town. "A lot of folks think we're like participants in that we are out there to enjoy the event and party," Seidlitz said. "But my staff and I have to be rested, well-nourished and accommodated to the bare minimum so we can ensure health, security and safety at the event."...more