Timothy Williams, deputy director in the Office of External Affairs at the U. S. Interior Department, was the guest speaker at a public meeting on Thursday, Nov. 29, hosted by the Harney Soil and Water Conservation District.

Williams’ visit to Harney County was an effort to hear residents’ concerns  on a number of issues, and then take those concerns back to Washington, D.C.

Before opening up the meeting for questions, Williams provided the audience with a snapshot of his background. Originally from Las Vegas, Nev., Williams ran the presidential campaign for Donald Trump in Nevada and Arizona. Following Trump’s election, Williams was given the job he now holds within the administration.

“My job as the deputy director of external affairs is to take the input from outside groups and make sure it gets to the right people,” Williams said. “When I find problems out there in the field [my job] is to take it back to D.C. and make sure we get an answer on it. It’s not always the answer you want to hear, but at least you can figure out a reason why, and at least know what’s going on.”

Williams said the Department of the Interior is the largest federal agency outside of the Department of Defense, with a number of different agencies under its direction.

Williams told the audience that the Interior Department is actually a department of energy, as it handles all the minerals, oil, and gas inside the borders, and also handles all the outer-continental shelf. He said he mentioned the energy component because a lot of the permits and other regulations are the same things residents have to deal with on a regular basis.

“Our rule is straight forward. It’s simply to the extent that we have the lawful discretion to carry out the promises the president has made to the American people,” Williams said. “President Trump’s administration is coming close to the two-year mark, and already has an impressive record of accomplishments and keeping promises.”

One of the accomplishments cited by Williams is keeping America safe. The Interior Department carried out the executive order on critical minerals, listing minerals key to economic and national security.

The Bureau of Land Management completed a report on critical minerals, listing the minerals that are controlled by other nations that are critical to the infrastructure and defense of the U.S. Williams added that a report of this sort had not been done for 60 years.

Another accomplishment is bringing regulatory relief to Americans by reorganizing the department. Williams explained that the president has his own reorganization plan and within that, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke has another plan, both of which are aimed at streamlining the process.

The administration is implementing a federal “one-decision” framework established for infrastructure permitting.

“That means one decision is made across all the agencies in order to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on a project,” Williams said.

The administration has also allocated funds for construction projects in national parks, and infrastructure projects for U.S. Fish and Wildlife; restored traditional multiple-use public access to 2 million acres in Utah; opened up the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge for emergency cattle grazing after a wildfire; and reopened the U.S. Virgin Islands National Park ahead of the holiday tourist season.

Another proposal being looked at is opening and expanding hunting and fishing access on 39 wildlife refuges, with more to come.

Williams also cited several examples of how the current administration is cutting back in regulations, and expediting the decision-making and permitting processes.

On the topic of wild horses, Williams acknowledged they are a problem, and are way over the limit in numbers, but Congress has mandated what can and can’t be done in the management of the herds. Williams said the department is looking at increasing the adoption fees to $1,000, putting out contracts for more holding facilities, and spay and neuter programs. He added that more than $90 million is spent on wild horses each year, to no avail.

One audience member stated that forest fires burn hundreds of thousands of acres each year, and if more timber could be harvested each year, it would not only reduce the fires, but also put money back into communities.

Williams said sage grouse has been used as an excuse to “make the land not multiple-use.” He pointed out a study done by an Idaho university that showed the biggest danger to sage grouse is fire and predation. The administration is working on the issue with the states affected, as they should have the final say because what works for one state doesn’t always apply to another.

Williams also explained that grazing decisions should be made at a more local level because conditions change every year.

The crowd thanked Williams for attending the meeting to hear their views.