Skip to content It’s easy to get behind the idea of Burning Man, at least in theory. The festival has existed since 1986,
and over its 40-year history, the Burning Man Project has proudly painted itself as a flagbearer for the
more artistic aspects of counter-culturalism.
The art cars, fire eaters, and heavily painted attendees, some juiced to the gills on psychedelics, are all
meant to be operating with a strong dose of good neighborliness and bonhomie. They claim to operate
under 10 tenets or rules, one of which states that Burners will leave no trace of having been there when
the week of debauchery concludes.
It’s a noble aspiration, but a virtual impossibility. You can’t have 70,000 people descend upon pristine
Nevada desert and expect it to look the same afterward, even after a spirited cleanup effort.
The effect of that many people, plus their RVs and other heavy vehicles, dramatically impacts the land
the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe and the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe consider sacred. Even if the urine
jugs and bags of raw human feces are carted off, particulate matter remains, along with massive
amounts of pollution released into the atmosphere from dozens of campfires and the Man burning.
The Burning Man Project Took Aggressive Legal Action
That’s why it was especially ironic when the Burning Man Project filed a lawsuit in January of 2023 to
block a proposed geothermal exploration initiative that would have taken place near Gerlach, Nevada.
Ormat Technologies planned to drill up to 21 exploratory geothermal wells. They were also considering
building roads to easily access those wells. Tests could then be undertaken to potentially uncover
underground heat and water resources.
About 54 acres of public land would have been affected. If Ormat found viable geothermal resources,
the exploration could have led to a large-scale, carbon-free geothermal power plant that, after the initial
groundbreaking, would have been largely environmentally friendly.
Burning Man would have none of it. As plaintiffs in the lawsuit, organizers argued that the project would
ruin the local hot springs and turn what was ostensibly a wild area into an eyesore stripped of much of
its natural splendor. As stated in the lawsuit, “Ormat’s exploration project will lay the foundation for
turning a unique, virtually pristine ecosystem…into an industrial zone.”
The lawsuit further went on to claim that “Once the exploration project begins, it will be impossible to
stop the effects of the entire geothermal production project.”
Burning Man’s Logic is Flawed at Bes
The hypocrisy at work would be laughable, except that there’s nothing funny about what Burning Man
has already been doing to the Black Rock Desert for the past 40 years. In a sense, the event is
commendable. Who doesn’t want to get away from their responsibilities and live like a neo-hippie for a
week?
If that were all that was taking place, and Burning Man wasn’t responsible for any environmental
damage, then it would be fine. Those who wanted to attend could do so, though they would still have to
contend with the sexual assaults and risk of heat stroke that are a grim reality of every year’s Burn.
The Burning Man Project trying to proclaim itself as a protector of the environment doesn’t hold up to
even a moment’s scrutiny, though. The 2023 lawsuit, which eventually concluded when Burning Man
bought back the drilling leases, reflects an infuriating arrogance and lack of self-awareness.
There’s an additional irony to heap on top of the pile: the area where Burning Man itself is held now
resembles an industrial area, according to an independent scientist familiar with the conditions there.
That is due to the accumulated damage to the environment that has taken place over multiple decades.
Suffice to say, if you attend Burning Man, don’t do so under the belief that you’re “leaving no trace.”
Many traces remain after the festival each year, and the impact is felt by the fragile ecosystem scarred
by the trampling feet of 70,000 selfish though well-meaning invaders and the vehicles they rely on for
transportation.
You can do your part to stop Burning Man. Contact the Nevada Bureau of Land Management and
request non-biased environmental testing of trash, air, and soil. Demand to know the festival’s effects
on the local environment, wildlife, and watershed.
1 thought on “Burning Man vs. The Ormat Geothermal Power Project:Hypocrisy in Action”
10/02/2026. While visiting Gerlach for a memorial event this weekend, I drove to ground zero and took video and photos of the burn scar ‘restoration’ efforts taken by the burners. It appears they took a full-size road grader and simply scraped off the damaged soil! Our group has been coming here for over 27 years. We have seen the damage done by their heavy equipment in other areas as well. I am willing to share photos if it would be helpful. You can no longer trust the local BLM as they have been corrupted by money coming from this event.