Tim DeChristopher considers his act of civil disobedience against the Bureau of Land Management a complete success.
DeChristopher, a U senior in economics and an environmental activist, placed phony bids on land in southern Utah at a BLM gas and oil lease auction in December. Some of the land sales from the auction have now been terminated.
“This was my original goal,” DeChristopher said. “I can’t take all the credit, but my actions certainly seem to have shifted the attention and exposed how fraudulent the auction was.”
On Feb. 4, Ken Salazar, secretary of the U.S. Department of Interior, cancelled the sale of 77 parcels of land sold at the controversial December auction. The auction sold a total of 110 land parcels. Many environmentalists viewed the auction as a last-minute attempt by the Bush administration to lease Utah land.
Patrick Shea, DeChristopher’s lawyer, said they were not sure if the land DeChristopher won is included in the 77 cancelled land leases. DeChristopher won 13 parcels worth $1.7 million.
“The Bush administration rushed ahead to sell oil and gas leases at the doorstep of some of our nation’s most treasured landscapes in Utah,” Salazar said in a news release.
He said that it is encouraging to see this act come around.
“It is the protection of the land we are working for,” Salazar said. “I was pleased to see the new administration take a strong stand.”
However, Rep. Jason Chaffetz, a Republican who represents Utah’s 3rd District, disagreed with DeChristopher and other activists. He said in a press release that the suspension of the land leases was inappropriate at a time when the national economy is struggling.
“(The cancellation), but executive fiat, is a cruel kick to an already downtrodden economy,” Chaffetz said. “It’s hard not to be cynical with the Democratic administration, drunk with its newfound power, (making) such irresponsible decisions.”
Salazar said in the statement that the 77 parcels from the auction were too close to national parks, monuments and landscapes. He said oil development would harm locations such as Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park and Dinosaur National Monument.
DeChristopher said he and other activists felt his actions played an integral role in stopping land development.
He said the past few weeks have been a good model of how environmental activism should work. DeChristopher received help from environmental agencies such as Earthjustice and the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. DeChristopher said the two organizations put pressure on the federal government by filing a class-action lawsuit to protect the land.
“With them working through legal means on the inside and others like me working on the outside and pushing boundaries, working toward the same purpose, we are far more effective working together than on our own,” DeChristopher said.
DeChristopher said the battle is not over yet. He said he hopes Salazar can find a way to reverse the land management trends and plans put in place by the Bush administration.
“This is our future we are talking about,” DeChristopher said. “The plans that promoted the exploitation of public lands must be reconsidered and reflected with scientific integrity that was absent when created.”
Shea said DeChristopher had raised $110,000 to place initial payments on land parcels he won. If the land DeChristopher won is included in the cancellation, the money will either be returned to the donors or spent in other environmental activities, he said.
Nick RosenbergerDesolation Canyon located along the Green River has been condemned and is now used for oil drilling.
