The BLM's report is expected to be published on June 14

The report will reveal whether Burning Man can grow to 100,000 people

Just a few more weeks, and Burning Man organizers will find out if an impending, federal environmental impact statement is going to forever "change the fabric" of the event.

Organizers at least seem less convinced that the report could "outright kill" the massive desert celebration, as they told followers earlier this spring.

"We’re already moving forward with planning this year's event with the assurance (from the BLM) that there won’t be any significant changes," Burning Man CEO Marian Goodell told the Reno Gazette Journal last week.

The organization in April was frantic over the Bureau of Land Management's more than 300-page draft report, which proposed that Burning Man incorporate dumpsters, drug searches and concrete barriers at the event.

BLM reviewing 2,061 letters of public comment

The purpose of the environmental impact statement is to detail how the currently 80,000-person event affects the surrounding land and communities, from the playa surface to the air quality and traffic flow.

"The BLM has to do their job, but we’re disappointed that we saw such extreme options, and the draft didn’t recognize the 30 years of work, the 30 years of history we have," Goodell said.

BLM officials currently are reviewing 2,061 letters of public comment that will be taken into account in creating the final environmental impact statement. The final report is also expected to reveal whether the BLM will allow Burning Man to increase its maximum population from 80,000 to 100,000 over a number of years.

More:Burning Man traffic, trash and tourism: Public can respond to BLM concerns at hearings

The Bureau of Land Management's target date to publish the final statement is June 14, according to BLM spokesman Rudy Evenson.

Once the final report is published, there will be a 30-day "reading period" for the public to view the document, and then the BLM will issue a record of decision, essentially an explanation of why BLM officials made the decision they did. At that point, the BLM can move forward with permitting Burning Man's 2019 event.

Measures may not take immediate effect

Mitigation measures detailed in the final environmental impact statement may not go into effect immediately, Evenson said, acknowledging that the event is less than 100 days away.

Some measures might be phased in over time, or some may only go into effect when certain conditions are met, such as when the population hits a certain figure, he said.

The public or any other entity is entitled to appeal the environmental impact statement, according to Evenson.

An appeal is usually filed with the Interior Board of Land Appeals, and the review process generally gives more consideration to appeals filed by stakeholders or those who have been involved in the public process; the process can be extremely lengthy, Evenson said.

More:Rural Nevadans tired of Burning Man trash, but side with Burners against BLM vehicle searches

"There's currently a five-year backlog of cases right now," he said, noting that individuals also can file an appeal in federal court to potentially expedite a response.

Burning Man organizers said they are hopeful that the final report will reflect some of the grievances expressed by the organization, as well as their masses of followers.

Goodell also said that Burners need to be more diligent about disposing of their trash appropriately during and after the event.

Goodell said it's not the first time she's taken part in the process of reviewing environmental impacts on federal land. In fact, she was on a review committee that participated in designating the Black Rock Desert as a national conservation area.

"The BLM as a whole is managing public lands, and that’s a high task – you’ve got ranchers, ATV vehicles, Burning Man – managing all these things on public land, that’s huge," said Goodell. "I don’t think they’re trying to prevent us from happening. We’re an anomaly, it takes courage and perspective to want to let us flourish."

Jenny Kane covers arts and culture in Northern Nevada, as well as the dynamic relationship between the state and the growing Burning Man community. She also covers the state's burgeoning cannabis industry (Check out her podcast, the Potcast, on iTunes.) Support her work in Reno by subscribing to RGJ.com right here.