ProPublica has the horrifying details of the vast underground transportation system Elon Musk’s Boring Company is building in Las Vegas. It’s supposed to ease congestion on and around the Strip. ProPublica describes the project as an example of “Musk’s notion of how government officials should deal with entrepreneurs: avoid lengthy reviews before building and instead impose fines later if anything goes awry.”
It’s a cautionary tale for what the guy who thinks he’s king of the world will probably try to do elsewhere in the United States. I highly recommend the full article, but here’s a good taste of what Trump’s puppetmaster has in mind for the rest of us:
Because the project, now known as the Vegas Loop, is privately operated and receives no federal funding, it is exempt from the kinds of exhaustive governmental vetting and environmental analyses demanded by the other cities that Boring pitched. Such reviews assess whether a proposal is the best option and inform the public of potential impacts to traffic and the environment.
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The approvals [obtained by Boring] allow the company to build and operate close to homes and businesses without the checks and balances that typically apply to major public transit projects.
Meanwhile, Boring has skirted building, environmental and labor regulations, according to records obtained by ProPublica and City Cast Las Vegas under public records laws.
It twice installed tunnels without permits to work on county property. State and local environmental regulators documented it dumping untreated water into storm drains and the sewer system. And, as local politicians were approving an extension of the system, Boring workers were filing complaints with the state Occupational Safety and Health Administration about “ankle-deep” water in the tunnels, muck spills and severe chemical burns. After an investigation, Nevada OSHA in 2023 fined the company more than $112,000. Boring disputed the regulators’ allegations and contested the violations.
Just like with his Teslas, Musk doesn’t think he should have to report safety problems:
Last year, Boring requested that the county no longer require it to hold a special permit that, among other things, mandates operators of private amusement and transportation systems to report serious injuries and fatalities, and grants the county additional authority to inspect and regulate their operations to protect public safety.
When you’re the richest guy in the world, they let you do it.
