Dan Williams

DNR Portfolio Component Accomplishments

· Forestry I have outstanding, current and long-standing relationships with state and federal partners in the forestry space. Teller County is nearly 60 % federal land and both as a planning director and county commissioner I have worked closely with our USFS and BLM leadership in matters of forest health, behavior, wildfire and habitat restoration. Teller County has state land parcels and we work with our state partners on a frequent basis. Pike National Forest is a highly impacted USFS Forest in southern Colorado which sees a high level of impact from front range visitors. The challenges from fire, to habitat and wildlife to recreation and EMS impacts are all seen here and are those experienced by many of us in rural Colorado. Many of the lessons learned and best practices here may be useful in other parts of Colorado as a predictive model. In addition, I am the current chair of the Land Use and Natural Resources Committee for CCI representing all 64 Colorado Counties and have been for several years. I am also a current traveling member and delegate to NACO for Public Lands at the national level. I have a strong bipartisan and respected reputation in this space.

· Mining – Teller County has the largest active Gold Mine in Colorado and the third largest in the country. As the former Planning Director, I worked extensively with state DRMS and an addition dozen federal agencies to ensure that mining operations were carried out safely and in an environmentally sound manner. As a county commissioner I continue to work with the mine which lies in my district. The regulations, land use, and environmental issues associated with modern mining and lingering impacts from historical mining require expertise and experience. I have worked with our mine for over 12 years in some capacity.

· Energy and Carbon – I was selected by Governor Polis and Governor Ritter to sit on the Clean Energy Task for a few years back when there was a strong movement toward wind and solar on public lands to develop clean energy policy for Colorado. We developed policy and state and regional engagement strategies in order to meet the federal concepts being proposed. I have also worked on multiple legislative bills on energy as part of our CCI land use portfolio. I worked extensively with the BLM on big game corridor impacts working with siting for oil and gas and transmission line corridors. I am currently working on land use policy for Colorado as represented by CCI and all 64 counties which includes energy policy and water.

· Parks and Wildlife – I am highly respected and regarded in this space. I am currently working with Gov Polis and CSU to develop enhanced recreation on the Pikes Peak Massive focused on collaboration between state, federal and local partners. This is critical and representative of what must occur all around our state to ensure local governments have a voice and receive assistance to mitigate the impacts to law enforcement, EMS, search and rescue and fire in the ever-expanding recreation space. I am also a member of the Colorado Wildlife Council.

· Water Conservation and Water Resources – I am a member of the Arkansas Water Basin Round table and have great relationships with many in the water space. As an example, a few years ago while a commissioner, the state wanted to change futile water rights language in policy and potentially statute. This would have negatively impacted ranchers in nearly all 47 rural counties who rely on springs and seasonal streams for water for cattle and horses. I put together a coalition and an educational campaign and came to the governor with rationale and a plan. As a result, a new water engineer was hired (Jason Ullman) and the crisis was resolved through education and a better understanding. The water space component of DNR will need a strong and respected leader that can navigate all sides of the discussion and interact with the federal government to protect and share the resource.

· Military Bases – There are 6 military bases in Colorado. There are often land use discussions (pinion canyon at Carson or Sentinel for example), airspace, or water and other resource discussions where we must be represented. This goes beyond the OEM or DFPC but is a relationship that has not been fostered and made worse with the current relationship between Colorado and the Federal Government. As a former US Army Colonel, I can add instant credibility and experience in that space as we try and rebuild and reconnect the federal government activities inside of Colorado with Colorado State Government as they impact our natural resources and land use. I have led men and women under stressful combat and peacetime conditions to include organizations of nearly 10,000 with multi-billion-dollar budgets. These organizational skills and experiences have served me well as a commissioner and will prove invaluable as a member of the cabinet if selected. As an aside or additional duty, I would be happy to also advise Phil on any military issues as they arise.

Military Rotary Wing License/Certification, and Civilian Rotary Wing License

Selected for expertise in land use and natural resources and for my bipartisan collaborative and respectful stake holdering and leadership at multiple levels to include state, county, legislative and the governors office.