Settlement Puts Billionaire in Control of Biosphere

Biosphere 2’s financial backer has taken control of the environmental project under a settlement of a lawsuit that questioned the project’s management.

Texas billionaire Ed Bass sued last month, and the agreement was announced Friday. It requires court approval, and a court receiver will continue to run the project until then.

The $150-million project seeks to replicate the Earth’s environment inside a glass-and-metal dome. Bass had claimed that the project was being mismanaged and that managers were resisting his efforts to resolve its problems.

The managers were ousted because of the lawsuit.

Other details of the settlement were not disclosed.

“What’s important to remember is that the objectives of the Biosphere have not changed,” said Terrell Lamb, a spokeswoman for Bass. “We intend to pursue those objectives with renewed commitment and vigor.”

Seven people are living under Biosphere’s sealed dome.