While oil and gas leases are commonplace for the BLM, the Mt. Princeton parcel is likely to be the first lease in Colorado involving geothermal development. No other properties in Colorado have thus far been nominated for inclusion in the lease program on the basis of geothermal energy production.

According to BLM spokesman Jim Sample, the State asked for deferment of the geothermal lease in part because federal subsurface mineral rights underlie state and private property. “There’s always a concern where federal mineral rights get involved with state or private surface rights, and federal traditionally trumps state and private, but we do our best to work with the parties here in Colorado whenever that situation exists,” said Sample.

A lease will authorize a company or individual to produce geothermal energy from the public mineral estate under management by the BLM, but development is not automatically approved. “There are several hoops [operators] have to jump through before they get a drilling permit,” said Sample, including the completion of an environmental impact statement or environmental assessment.

Leaseholders have a 10-year timeframe in which to begin meaningful development or they lose their rights to the lease, according to Sample.

While geothermal energy is generally considered to be environmentally-friendly, especially compared to fossil fuels or nuclear power, not everyone is sanguine about the prospect of a generating plant nestled at the base of the Collegiate Peaks. In a recent Chaffee County Times article, Buena Vista resident Steve Glover was critical of the proposal, suggesting that viewsheds and property values would be impacted if the Mt. Princeton parcel were to be developed for energy production. “These guys are going to want to put a factory somewhere,” Glover said.

John Graham, co-founder of Chaffee Citizens for Sustainability, said that CCFS has not taken a position on the geothermal lease.

The Mt. Princeton parcel is likely to be included in the BLM’s next quarterly sale, to be held in February.

According to the article:

The EIS is the next step in the process required under federal law to determine the possible impacts to the human and natural environment of the proposed project….

The third-party contract was signed by the artists and EDAW-AECOM, which commits the contractor to a specific Statement of Work developed by BLM. The EIS, as well as all other costs associated with the project, is funded by the artists without public subsidy or taxpayer support.

“Approval and acceptance of the completed EIS will be the responsibility of BLM in consultation with cooperating agencies that include the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, the Colorado Department of Transportation, the Colorado Highway Patrol and Chaffee and Fremont counties,” Cairns said.

Read the full text. Read the BLM press release [PDF].

DeChristopher said her son, who did not grow up here, has always been an idealist unafraid to take a stand and do the right thing. She hopes he has the support of others across the nation who share his views because, like any good mom, she’d really hate to see her son go to prison.

DeChristoper also noted her son, who’s studying economics at the University of Utah has an affinity for the wilderness landscapes he was trying to prevent from exploitation. He had been a guide, leading troubled teens deep into Utah’s desert wilderness for Outback, a wilderness therapy program based in Lehi, UT.

Tim DeChristopher participated in the lease auction knowing full well he didn’t have the money or intent to pay for the leases he bid on. There was no pre-screening of bidders and Tim simply walked in and was issued bidding paddle #70. As he drove up the bids on the parcels, oil and gas industry auction veterans became suspicious, the lease auction was halted and DeChistopher was removed and questioned and now faces potential federal charges which could result in prison.

But before he was evicted from the proceedings he won bids totaling $1.7 million on parcels totaling 22,500 acres on land near Arches and Canyonlands National Parks near Moab, UT. DeChristopher’s parcels were among those hotly contested by environmental groups trying to block them from inclusion in the auction.

Now Tim’s busy raising money to both pay for the leases as well as funds to pay for his mounting legal expenses.

His story has been featured on such national news programs outlets as Businessweek Air America’s Rachel Maddow Show, National Public Radios’s Democracy Now, Backpacker magazine, Utah TV, print and radio outlets.

A website has been set up to raise money to help Tim actually purchase the leases and pay for his legal defense.

The deadline for Tim to provide the BLM with a $45,000 downpayment on the land is this Friday, Jan. 9.

Editor’s note: the link in the article to Tim’s website, originally broken, has been fixed. Thanks to Ryan for pointing out our error.

The mountain biking culture here has traditionally been a bit more underground than it is in many of the other mountain towns in Colorado. The riders here have tended to do what they do, not drawing attention to the places they ride, forming clubs, or putting on festivals. But times are changing.