After Another Protest, BLM Considers Changes To Federal Land Auction Process
LAKEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4) - After demonstrations like one that happened Thursday at a hotel in Lakewood, the Bureau of Land Management is considering some changes to how it administers federal land auctions.
No arrests were made on Thursday, but protesters arrived almost like a flash mob at a Holiday Inn where the sale was taking place and police officers had to keep them at bay.
The protesters, which included members of Greenpeace and a dozen other environmental groups, say they are angry that the BLM continues to auction off parcels of land to the oil and gas industry.
More than a hundred protesters hoped a big show would break up the latest sale of land, but the auction still went on as normal, despite chants from the protest such as "No more leases!"
"We continued the auction as planned," said BLM spokeswoman Courtney Whiteman. "That's our job so we'll continue to do that."
The BLM auctioned off six parcels of land, which equates to nearly 7,000 acres. It's part of a growing list of lands gaining interest from the industry, where they believe they will find a significant stockpile of natural gas.
"We're saying let's stop fracking our public lands. let's keep fossil fuels in the ground. Let's use our public lands for the public good," activist Micah Parken said.
The BLM is now considering holding the auctions online only.
