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Activist disrupts BLM auction by running up bids

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rok | 9:46 p.m. Dec. 19, 2008
I hope he is fined for such a cowardly act. What an ego to waste others time,effort and money. Including tax payer dollars. I hope some of those involved in the auction also file civil actions against this man. I wonder if he has ever worked an honest day in his life or if he just causes trouble for those who do.
Good Job!!! | 1:21 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008
Good job man. Why didn't I think of that. Anyone who cares about Utah as a sustainable place to live rather than America's Wasteland applauds you. We don't want their big drilling equipment next to our Arches.

This is really the final stain on the Bush Administration. This really shows poor on Utah's leaders as well who didn't step up and fight this more.

Let's all hope that Obama's team can step in and reverse these leases and keep these sensitive areas as quite sacred places. There is not very many places people in this world can go for pure peace, these lands are some of them.

Bravo to this guy and the protestors. Hopefully we can look past our greed as a nation and look to a better way. Our governments destroyed our rails in the 1920's and 1920's in one of the biggest and most covered up scandals in the last century.

Don't support big oil. Support clean renewable energy resources that don't require lands to be torn up and skies to be polluted.

Walk, Bike, Train, and finally if you have to... take your car on occasion. Does anyone enjoy the gray cloud over SLC?
Anonymous | 1:29 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008
No need to fine him, just make him pay for the leases he won. $1.7 million in debt should make him think twice.
Comments continue below
Timj | 5:34 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008
While I, like SUWA, disagree with the illegal actions done here, I have a message for George W. Bush:
You reap what you sow.
You pull this on the state of Utah at the last minute, unethically, and people will respond unethically.
Eco terrorist | 6:10 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008
Throw him in jail and let him enjoy the environment there.
Moon | 6:14 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008
The environmentalists have declared war on the oil/gas/energy industries. It's time to fight back with tough consequences for illegal tactics that they use.
nottyou | 6:41 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008
Typical Ute...should we expect something different?
Cowardly?? | 7:04 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008
TO: rok
This act is a lot of things, but cowardly it is not. And I fail to see what basis would exist for civil actions by other bidders. Finally, the article says the guy is a student, so you're right he probably hasn't ever worked an honest day in his life. Still, it sounds like you are angry and just lashing out in any way you can. Might want to consider thinking it through a little.
DrW | 7:26 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008
Where do we send money for this man's legal defense fund?

How DARE that Bush (who never met a payroll and wrecked every business he was ever involved in) despoil America's natural beauty on his way out the door?

Glad SOMEBODY found a way to fight back!


anti-rok | 7:26 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008
On the contrary, he is a man with guts who committed an act of civil disobedience. Sometimes, that's what it takes to change things. Remember Vietnam? Probably not.

My guess is that after Obama becomes President, the next scheduled sale in February won't occur, and those parcels areound Arches and Canyonlands that he "won" won't be sold at all.

Bravo Tim. You have my admiration.
Dave | 7:45 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008
There were no parcels "around arches and canyon lands". That is a lie told by the enviros and believed by the uninformed.
Blochade | 8:03 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008
I don't believe for a minute that SUWA had nothing to do with that fraudulent bidder. That sale was Blochaded, big time. Many of the individuals who work for SUWA are pathological liars.
GOOD FOR HIM! | 8:10 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008
I can't believe that our state is even leasing out this prime pieces of land, part of the public patrimony!
How about... | 8:14 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008
...fraud and breach of contract.
allanoil | 8:23 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008
You uninformed protestors should get your facts straight. The STATE did not lease anything. These were all FEDERAL leases.

it was not a last minute rush by the Bush administration, but part of the mandated quarterly sale by the BLM, merely business as usual.


I've seen SUWA's tax forms | 8:24 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008
It's interesting how much money goes to the big guns.
SUWA IS COMPLICIT! | 8:24 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008
A SUWA lawyer (one of Bloch's stooges) was communicating with the fraudulent bidder right during the bidder's fraudulent conduct! SUWA knew what was going on. I can't believe the comments posted here cheering this guy. He committed an illegal act. Good grief. The guy's a chicken, coward, a narcissist looking for attention. He and SUWA should be held accountable for this crime. SUWA has really lost respect over this one. What a bunch of cowards.
Now he needs to be fined | 8:35 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008
Now he needs to fined or jailed. We need to change the auction process to allow for the second highest bidder to retain the lease or to immediately pay for the lease upon the winning of bid, or bidders must prove they have the ability to pay before being allowed to make a bid.
Such Ignorance | 8:40 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008
Some facts about the land "near Arches."
1. That land has been mined and re-mined for decades. Helloooo ignoramuses! It's been the object of extractve activities like uranium prospecting, seismic testing, and yes previous drilling.

2. Yet the enviros call that land pristine and of wilderness quality. What does that tell you? It tells you that the prior extractive activities did not destroy the land, bur rather it was all reclaimed. They shoot themselves in the foot, their own claims of pristineness proves that the land can be developed and later reclaimed. Hellooo ignoramuses!

3. The land is not so "near" as the enviro liars claim. Drilling activities on the land in question would only be visible as a remote small item in the far distance, and then only from the most extreme corners of the Park, where virtually no visitor ventures. Not from Delicate Arch, nor from any other main attraction of the Park. Again, Helloooo ignoramuses.

Ignorance is something to behold. Oh the blochheaded ignorance of it all! Mankind is sooo ignorant!
Malthus | 9:02 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008
Bloch of SUWA is right; this was an unneeded "distraction". The BLM was backpedaling on a really terrible proposal, Obama will be taking charge in weeks, and this just muddies the water. Here's one environmentalist that is not cheering the guy on.
utah rose | 9:11 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008
When I saw him on TV I figured he had to be a U student wet behind his ears. He should definitely pay that money back.

He needs to be in real world 101, and I happen to know that the economic professors there are Marxist, so maybe they should contribute to that fine.
desert lover | 9:16 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008
Despite the loud slogans and wildly overblown environmental doomsday rhetoric of the anti-drilling crowd, the truth is that exp-loration and drilling for oils/gas can be done in a responsible fashion with minimal or no longterm environmental impact. It will occupy a tiny percent of desert land leaving plenty of solitude to be found. It will not destroy the quality of the the parks and monuments. The truth about oil is that, even with maximal funding and effort, we are decades away from replacing oil with renewable energy options. While we make the transition, we still need oil. The viability of our economy and the security and independence of our nation depends on ample oil supplies for the near future. Refusal to develop domestic resources endangers our economy and security by leaving us vulnerable to manipulation by unfriendly nations (see Venezuela, Middle East, Russia, etc.) We need other energy options. While we develop them we still need oil. Developing domestic resources is key to economic viability and national security. Oil development can be accomplished responsibly with minimal environmental impact even in sensitive areas. No one is suggesting we drill beneath Delicate Arch.
KM | 9:35 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008
Typical liberal tactics. Lets not play by the rules - anything goes - ends justify the means!
Robert | 9:33 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008
This was not "an act of civil disobedience", as one comment characterizes it. And the bidder showed up at this particular auction only because this particular auction has been in the news this past week. He has not bid or even appeared at previous quarterly auctions. He simply wants his name in the news, and hopes to be a martyr; it's all a matter of self-aggrandizement, and nothing more.
Re Malthus | 9:38 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008
It's not a terrible proposal. I reject your propoganda. Every parcel was legitimate. What's terible is people of your ilk who do not respect the laws and the regulations and all the careful work that went into that sale. You're all a bunch of narcissits looking for a way to get your jollies. You don't care for the hard-working, law abiding segments of society, or the struggling households in rural Utah trying to make ends meet. You're all a bunch of elitists with severe narcissistic personality disorders. You say you're not cheering the narcissist fraudulent bidder on. But you have to be brain dead to believe that SUWA was not involved in this. Bloch is just back-pedaling if he claims otherwise.
Take his home, | 9:49 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008
his bank account and the shirt off his back and then throw him into prison.
Timj | 10:01 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008
All those claiming SUWA was involved with the false bidding...please provide evidence.
Yes, evidence. The thing intelligent people consider before they decide whether someone is guilty or not.
Jorge | 10:19 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008
The term "activist" is very far from the truth......he is a cowardly criminal. Throw the book at him.

News media: print the truth from now on! Stop putting sugar on stink!
Malthus | 10:21 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008
desert lover, should every single cubic yard of natural gas, no matter the cost? Even if it's in Temple Square? And don't just parrot that "it will not destroy the quality of the parks and monuments". I went out to Dinosaur, map in hand, and it very definitely WILL affect my appreciation of that place. Recovery will be very slow on those fragile lands. In seldom-visited places, it will make little difference. At world class landscapes, it will make a BIG difference, to quality of life for the locals, and to the local economy as the areas lose their luster.
jorge | 10:22 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008
To Good Job:

Saddle up you horse! Pull the plug on you computer and cook with wood the turkey you shot in the woods!

Join the 21st century, please!
Thinking for myself | 10:31 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008
Most of you on both sides are right. It was an act of civil disobedience, and he should be punished for it. Nowhere does it say that those that participate in these things should walk because their "cause" is just. He should expect a healthy fine at the very least. He "expects to be charged". I just hope it was worth it to him, as this may well affect him for the rest of his life. As for those of you that think that Bush is doing this as his last act because he's so evil, please get a life. You do your cause no good by spouting off the ridiculous. Credibility is priceless!
Results | 10:33 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008
The BLM brought this on themselves, the bidding process is obviously flawed and the process needs to be changed.
Anonymous | 10:41 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008
This man deserves a Metal of Honor for bravery in battle to save the planet, which has given us life. Thank you, sir. You courage is an example that for our nation. For our nation to live on, patriots must make sacrifices for a greater good. A great doctor will work earnestly to save a person bent on commuting suicide. In Utah, only the Kool-aid is liberal.
Morgan | 11:03 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008
To those of you who call this sale unethical lets not forget the very unethical creation of the Grand Staircase by the Clintonistas. The Clinton administration told then Gov. Leavitt there wouldn't be a monument for a long time while a memo was being circulated to put one in Utah. This sale was well known to everybody unlike Pres. Clinton's lyings and backroom deals he made to appease his environmetalist friends. Also the Grand Staircase fiasco resulted in the importation of coal from Clinton supporters in Indonesia which proves this sale was business as usual unlike the backroom deals of the Clintonistas.
Anonymous | 11:23 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008
Where are the parcels of land exactly. I have never seen a map showing so in the paper.
Re Malthus & Timj | 11:26 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008
The Temple Square reference is a false argument. Those lease lands have already been open to mining and exploratin for decades. That's decades, Malthus, as in multiple ten-year periods. Exploration, drilling, mining and seismic work have all gone on here before, Malthus. Your Temple Square reference is misleading, but that's the hallmark of the enviros. Muddy the facts, put out pea brained logic, howl at the moon, smoke your pot, collect your welfare check, turn up the heat on your natural gas furnance when you get chilly, and congratulate yourself for your enlightened view of the environment. Evidence of SUWA's involvement? Oh, so it's just a coincidence that one of the lawyers for SUWA (stooge with a law degree) was observed talking extensively with the false bidder right during the bidding. The false bidder said he contributed to enviro causes for years. He no doubt is a familiar figure to the SUWA communinity. You mean the SUWA stooges at the bid sale just saw him there bidding and figured, "sheesh, he's gone to the other side and become a legitimate bidder." Yeah, right. Your plea for evidence is ironic. That's the last thing your ilk seeks regarding these leases.
Wow! | 11:44 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008
So many people that defend the oil companies before that of a young man who is only doing this out of his conscience. He's nothing personal to gain from this, it's one of those selfless acts you allegedly honor and cherish so much, but you're so willing to help out a corporation to make profit off of your state's scarce resources. Sad.
HOW NEAR IS "NEAR" | 11:43 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008
Not only do the enviro-wackos want the National Parks to be "off limits" to any activity (which I agree with), but also any land "near" them. How "near" is "near?" Maybe we need a "do not disturb" ring 50 miles wide around every acre of Park and Forest Land, but of course someone would want nothing near that land.
Larry B. | 11:52 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008
This man is a hero. I don't see the SUWA being able to stop the sales. Someone had to step up and take charge. Peaceful protest, what did that accomplish. Direct action is needed. Yes, where can I send my money to defend this American Hero.

Back to the SUWA, you have to play hardball..
His generation | 11:53 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008
Who is he to decide what this geration thinks and belives. I am of the same generation. It is apparent that he has no respect for the rule of law and thinks that his is the only thing going. It is apparent to all that he is the product of the liberals and in the future maybe a backgound check with proper bonding and credentials should be required prior to bidding. Imposters only show there lack of character and undermine their cause.
Rathbun | 11:53 a.m. Dec. 20, 2008
Well, shoot, he didn't look like an environmentalist, how did they catch on? His belly, cigar, diesel truck in the lot... spoke of big oil and bulldozers! Clever guy. Might the BLM save a sliver of land for the foreclosed & 401K-fleeced to sit and cry on?
Beth | 12:10 p.m. Dec. 20, 2008
Everyone who thinks that this is some last minute Bush scandal and that Messiah Obama is going to step in and save the day is delusional. And PS Malthus, Desert Lover DID say he's definitely not proposing to drill under delicate arch, which would mean that he does not support drilling on "every cubic yard". If you're going to respond to someone's comment read the whole thing!

This guy committed fraud and hope they hold him to the 1.7 million. Obviously he must not be a very good economics student!
Criminal | 12:10 p.m. Dec. 20, 2008
to Cowardly??
There are several things I would love to see him sued for by every other winning bidder and the losing bidders on the ones he won. For staters, I think it will be pretty easy to show fraud and intentional interference with business relations. Damages on fraud would be the extra amount they had to pay because of his bidding and punitive damages for purposefully causing problems.

I really hope he is also tried criminally.
Open minded | 12:14 p.m. Dec. 20, 2008
To all of you who think he did a good thing.

This is the equivalent of a religious fundamentalist disrputing gay union ceremonies. How many of you would think THAT was a good, courageous, and laudable act.

The bottom line is that civil disruption based on principles is ALWAYS based on beliefs. The only question is wheter nor not you agree with the beliefs. Maybe I'll find the next gay union ceremony I can... I hope you will all come to my defense.
Anony | 12:20 p.m. Dec. 20, 2008
Disruption of an autction will only buy this guy time in jail where he belongs. Environmentalist for years have driven up the cost of oil exploration with their self righteous lawsuits. He belongs in jail where studying economics should help his brain figure out how unfruitful his little plan really was.
Roobah | 12:34 p.m. Dec. 20, 2008
Bloch is wrong.

Hmmm, let's see who got more attention on the problem: Tim DeChristopher's "effective" stopping of some sales, or Steven Bloch's boring protest outside. I think Bloch is wrong. DeChristopher was MUCH more effective in actually DOING something instead of TALKING about it.

Thank you Tim for showing us all how to be "effective".

Roobah
Get real "Wow" | 12:40 p.m. Dec. 20, 2008
You have falsely shaped this as a struggle between a poor courageous student and an evil corporation. Wrong. It's about poor struggling families in rural Utah looking for good jobs. It's about down-trodden minorities who struggle to pay their heating bills because the wacko enviros have crimpted natural gas exploration to the point that it drives up costs. This student was a glory hog and a law breaker, plain and simple. It's not rich corporations who are hurt. It's everyday Americans looking for good paying jobs in rural areas and poor families struggling to make ends meet with the heating bills. So get real, enviro fantasizers.
K | 12:46 p.m. Dec. 20, 2008
Make him pay back the money. The amount he ran up during the bidding process. Fraud. Also prison would be appropriate. Then community service working for an oil company.

Kristine

dingo | 12:47 p.m. Dec. 20, 2008
Let�s see here a felony level of crime? I think so. This man should be locked up and forgotten for five to ten years. This was a knowing and malicious act by someone who clearly based on his statements in the news should be punished to the maximum. The courts should give him his wish and send him to prison Not jail, big difference.

I do not agree with the lease option offered up by the president but I also do not like SUWA and all the other environmentalists either. Remember these folks would have us on bicycles and walking. They would not stop until we were living in eco-friendly hovels and dug outs (oopps sorry digging a hole would disturb the sage brush...my bad) at the expense of human life and quality of life around the world.

No drop the hammer on him, toss out the environmentalists...all of them... and start over with people who can actually find balance and be willing sacrifice. By the way has anyone actually looked at the lands being leased? Where is the pristine?
Dan | 1:07 p.m. Dec. 20, 2008
Reference - The Medal of Honor.

The Medal of Honor is given to a serviceman or woman who, at severe risk of his own life, under enemey fire, commits acts of heroism above and beyond the 'call of duty' saving the lives of his fellow servicemen.

You MAY call this man a hero to your cause if you want, but don't mar the mark of true courage and bravery that obviously you know little, if anything about.

I get tired of people pretending their personal little pet causes are somehow equivalent to the risk/committment/honor our service men and women stand up for everyday of their lives.

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Brad Wixom of Salt Lake City bids on land at the Bureau of Land Management oil and gas lease sale at the BLM Office in Salt Lake City on Friday.

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