This is a refreshing breath of fresh air. According to the LA Times, a student in Utah bid on oil leases he couldn’t buy to run up their prices. Apparently, he was sick of the government selling leases to land in his state for oil exploration and extraction so he turned to a tried-and-true method to attack the problem: civil disobedience.

A college student was charged with two federal felonies Wednesday for what he contends were acts of civil disobedience — making false bids to run up auction prices on oil and gas parcels on public land near Utah’s national parks.

How great. How inventive. Yeah, this could cause some serious issues if everyone does it, sometimes, serious issues with normal operating procedure are what’s needed. For example, Birmingham, AL circa 1955.

It seems the guy isn’t the only one with a problem with these leases either:

Weeks later, new Interior Secretary Ken Salazar rescinded 77 of the leases, saying they were too close to national parks and never should have gone up for sale under the Bush administration.

But the real kicker is the end result of his actions:

“Tim DeChristopher is a guy who walked in the auction without a penny and cost our company $600,000,” Gunnell said.

via Student is charged with obstructing Utah land auction – Los Angeles Times.