Elon Musk‘s experiment in underground, electric vehicle-powered public transportation in Las Vegas is expanding. However, according to a ProPublica report, the Vegas Loop project is flying under the radar with very little government oversight.
The news outlet said because the project is privately operated and gets no federal funding, it’s spared from the typical government vetting and environmental analyses.
The Boring Company, founded by Musk, launched the service in 2021. The project started at the Las Vegas Convention Center with plans for more growth underway in other areas including the Las Vegas Strip and McCarran Airport.
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The head of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority called the loop project the only feasible option to ease traffic. The Clark County Commission and Las Vegas City Council granted Boring permission to build and operate the system underground without any public debate.
This approval allowed the transportation to run close to homes and businesses. It also bypassed the normal checks and balances that apply to major public transit projects.
According to records obtained by ProPublica and City Cast Las Vegas, Boring has also gotten around environmental and labor regulations by installing tunnels without work permits on county property twice. The company also dumped untreated water into storm drains and the sewer system.
The county did give Boring cease-and-desist letters, but no fines were issued.
In 2022, Boring successfully requested to no longer need a special permit. The special permit would have required more extensive reporting on safety and accidents.
As a result, the county has significantly reduced its oversight of the project, despite the involvement of taxpayer money from hotel room taxes and convention revenue.
The project is on track to be a 68-mile underground network across much of the city.
Boring has not commented on ProPublica’s report.
