Earth Equity News

Utah Student Who 'Bought' BLM Oil and Gas Leases Appeals for Funds to Keep Holdings and Proctect Land. By Tim DeChristopher. Bidder70.org, January 6, 2009. "As you may have already heard, on December 19th I chose to disrupt the BLM oil and gas auction through an act of civil disobedience by bidding against participating oil & gas companies. I ended up 'winning' the leases for 22,500 acres of beautiful land near Moab. You can find more details at www.bidder70.org. The tremendous support I've received in response to my action was unexpected and utterly inspiring. Hundreds of people have contributed over $10,000 to my legal defense and to the $45,000 bond obligation for the leases. And countless others have expressed their solidarity and support for the long American tradition of meaningful civil disobedience. In addition to the moving effect on me, this support has also opened up the real possibility of paying off the leases which I 'won.' The initial payment on this, required to secure the land, is around $45,000. After a good deal of struggling over this choice, I have decided to raise the money to secure the leases. With much advice from my legal team, it has become clear to me that making the down payment on the leases is the best way to protect the land until we can restore open, transparent and democratic procedures for determining the fate of valuable public lands."