BLM bidding prankster gets enough money to make his down payment

[Ichingcarpenter]

The following is a statement from Tim DeChristopher, Bidder 70, who bid up prices at a Bureau of Land Management auction to keep them from being sold by the Bush Administration to oil and gas companies. DeChristopher solicited donations from the public to help him put down payments on the land he "won."

"I'm thankful to announce we have reached our initial goal of raising $45,000 for the first payment on the 22,500 acres I "won" at the BLM auction on December 19th. Most of our donations came in $10 or $20 increments from thousands who gave whatever they could during this hard economic time

I deeply appreciate the generosity of all those who have contributed to our goal. It is very encouraging for me to see how many others value the land, the climate and a participatory democracy as much as I do. This has been a reminder for me that when you stand for what is right, you never stand alone. I hope that all these partners continue to stand with me in our fight for a livable future.

My legal team and I are now prepared to make the first payment. We are waiting for confirmation from the BLM and US Attorney's office that they will accept the payment. As I have said before, it is unclear to me how the BLM or the new administration will proceed in my case. In the event that my payment is refused and 
the parcels are going to be put up for auction again, the money 
given to my Lease Fund will be used to acquire these parcels in the new auction. I think that together we value this land and the climate more than oil companies value the oil in those rocks, so we should be able to demonstrate that in any future auction.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/09/tim-dechristopher-environ_n_156668.html

[nashville_brook]

1. this is absolutely great news -- thanks for posting!

[HillWilliam]

2. I love it when the little guy

makes BushCo squirm.

[The2ndWheel]

3. I don't know, if you're using money to do this

you're still playing their game. I'm not sure if they care who owns it, as long as a number can be assigned to another part of life.

Good for now, but like everything else, we'll see how long it lasts.