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<DIV><B>Push begins for Thompson as interior secretary</B></DIV>Thadeus
Greenson/The Times-Standard<BR>Posted: 11/22/2008 01:24:15 AM PST<BR><BR>A
congressman who hunts, fishes and grows wine grapes is being promoted for
interior secretary by two prominent fellow lawmakers. That congressman just
happens to be the North Coast's own Mike Thompson. <BR><BR>California Democratic
Reps. George Miller and Anna Eshoo recently sent a letter to the incoming
administration urging consideration for Thompson as President-elect Barack
Obama's appointment for secretary of the Interior, spokespeople for the two
representatives confirmed Friday. <BR><BR>”Mike Thompson is immensely qualified
to be Interior secretary,” Miller said in a statement. “He has a strong base of
support in conservation, environmental and outdoors community. He is
knowledgeable about issues. And he is a person of great integrity and commitment
to public service.” <BR><BR>Nearly three dozen sportsmen's groups, including
Ducks Unlimited and Wildlife Forever, also sent a letter supporting Thompson to
President-elect Barack Obama's transition team. <BR><BR>Wildlife Forever CEO and
President Doug Grann said Friday that Thompson was an easy choice for the
organization, which provides funding for a wide variety of conservation efforts
and is one of the founders of the American Wildlife Conservation Partnership.
<BR><BR>”We know of Mr. Thompson's record as a conservationist and a sportsman,
and when his name came forward in the many discussions we were hearing out of
Washington, D.C., we thought he would be an excellent choice,” Grann said.
<BR><BR>“First and foremost, I was impressed that he's a life-time
conservationist and sportsman. He's a hunter and an angler, and thus would
represent the constituent base of our membership well in his oversight of the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.” <BR><BR>The Interior secretary is tasked with
overseeing the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the United States Geological
Survey and the National Parks Service. <BR><BR>Thompson, 57, won re-election in
November and will start his sixth term in January. He serves on the Ways and
Means and chairs the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Human Intelligence, Analysis and
Counterintelligence. <BR><BR>He also co-founded the Wine Caucus when he arrived
in Congress in 1999, is an avid hunter and has pushed legislation and disaster
relief on behalf of salmon fishermen in Northern California. <BR><BR>According
to the California Secretary of State's Office, if Thompson were appointed, the
governor would call a special election in California's 1st Congressional
District to fill his seat. <BR><BR>But, that's far from a sure thing, as
Thompson said in a statement that he has yet to be contacted by the incoming
administration. <BR><BR>”It's an honor to be recognized by the many groups I've
worked with over the years, but no one associated with President-elect Obama has
contacted me,” Thompson said in a statement. <BR><BR>But Thompson backers are
heartened by comments Obama made in an interview with Field & Stream
magazine in September that his Interior secretary probably would be a sportsman
or sportswoman. <BR><BR>”I think that having a head of the Department of
Interior who doesn't understand hunting and fishing would be a problem,” the
magazine quoted Obama as saying. <BR><BR>Like Thompson, Grann also said he's not
heard from the Obama team since penning the letter in support of Thompson. But,
Grann said, he's still hopeful for Thompson's chances. <BR><BR>”I know (the
Obama transition team is) busy,” Grann said. “It's a big job for the transition
team, and I think they're way ahead of the curve. We think it will be a big
positive that the Obama organization does value input from various groups. We're
hopeful that Mr. Thompson has a good chance at being secretary of the Interior.”
<BR><BR>Thadeus Greenson can be reached at 441-0509 or <A
href="mailto:tgreenson@times-standard.com">tgreenson@times-standard.com</A>.<BR><X-SIGSEP>
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