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April 29, 2009

Student Pleads Not Guilty in Utah Land Case
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In Utah, a college student who prevented a mass sell-off of public
wilderness has pleaded not guilty to charges of interfering with a
public auction. Tim De Christopher made headlines in December when he
disrupted the Bush administration’s last-minute move to auction off oil
and gas exploitation rights on vast swaths of federal land in Utah. De
Christopher was arrested after he posed as a bidder and bought 22,000
acres of land in an attempt to save the property from drilling. He faces
up to ten years in prison and a $750,000 fine. The trial is set to begin
in July. On Tuesday, some 200 supporters rallied for De Christopher
outside his arraignment at the federal courthouse in Salt Lake City.



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