As President-elect Barack Obama quickly puts together a list of key figures in his administration, Napa’s own congressman is considered a top contender for the position of United States Secretary of the Interior.

Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, is one of four lawmakers being considered for the White House cabinet position, according to the Associated Press. His competition includes Rep. Raul M. Grijalva, D-Ariz.; former Gov. John Kitzhaber, D-Ore.; and former Gov. Tony Knowles, D-Alaska.

The interior secretary oversees agencies including the Bureau of Land Management, the United States Geological Survey and the National Park Service.

Democratic representatives George Miller and Anna Eshoo, both of California, wrote to the incoming administration last week to endorse Thompson, according to the Associated Press. Several sportsmen’s groups, including Ducks Unlimited and Wildlife Forever, have also reportedly written in support of the local congressman.

“Mike Thompson is immensely qualified to be Interior Secretary,” Rep. George Miller, D-Martinez, said in a statement. “He has a strong base of support in the conservation, environmental and outdoors community. He is knowledgeable about the issues. And he is a person of great integrity and commitment to public service.”

Thompson said in a prepared statement that while he has not been contacted by President-elect Obama or his staff, “It’s an honor to be recognized by the many groups I’ve worked with over the years.”

Land-use record

Thompson begins his sixth term in January representing California’s Congressional District 1, which includes Napa County and North Coast counties stretching to the Oregon border.

He serves on the House Ways and Means and Intelligence committees, and he co-founded the Wine Caucus, a coalition of lawmakers from wine-producing regions. He is a vineyard owner and hunter, and he touts the protection of natural resources as one of his top priorities.

Thompson introduced a bill signed into law by President Bush in 2006 designed to protect 273,000 acres of publicly owned wilderness in Napa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino and Lake counties. In 2007, he introduced the Endangered Species Recovery Act, which would provide tax incentives to landowners who implement species recovery plans to protect endangered species.

Thompson introduced another bill in 2007 that would permanently prohibit oil and gas drilling off the coasts of Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte Counties. He secured $60.4 million for fishermen and businesses hurt by the commercial fishery failure of 2006.

What if ...

If Thompson is appointed, a special election would be held to elect a new representative for District 1.

The governor has 14 days to call for a special election in the case of a congressional vacancy, according to Kate Folmar, a spokeswoman for the California Secretary of State’s office. Folmar said a special election must take place between 112 and 126 days after the governor issues a proclamation calling for a special election, or up to 180 days later if it means it can be consolidated with a regular election.

Neither Folmar nor a spokesperson from the governor’s office would speculate about who would fill the vacancy before a new representative is elected or if an interim representative would even be named.

Meanwhile, here’s a look at the three other named contenders:

• Rep. Grijalva is in his third term representing the second-largest congressional district in Arizona. He is a member of the Committee on Education and Labor; and the Committee on Natural Resources, where he serves as chairman of the National Parks, Forests and Public Lands Subcommittee.

He is co-chair of the Congressional National Landscape Conservation System, and he chaired the Environment Task Force Caucus from 2003 to 2006. He also serves on the Committee on Small Business, is first vice chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, serves as co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and was recently appointed Senior Whip for the Majority Whip’s Operation.

• Former Gov. Kitzhaber of Oregon practiced emergency medicine for 15 years before being elected to the Oregon State House of Representatives in 1978. In 1980, he was elected to the state Senate and served as Senate president from 1985 to 1993. Kitzhaber served three terms in the Senate, and in 1994 he was elected governor of the state of Oregon. He was re-elected to a second term in 1998.

In 2006, Kitzhaber launched the Archimedes Movement, which, according to his Web site, is committed to engaging the community on issues related to health care.

Kitzhaber is an avid fly fisherman and white-water rafter.

• Knowles served as governor of Alaska from 1994 to 2002 and lost in his run for reelection in 2006 to Sarah Palin, who this year became the vice-presidential nominee on the Republican Party ticket with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

Knowles served three terms in the Anchorage Assembly and two terms as mayor of Anchorage in the 1980s. He was chair of the Western Governors’ Association and the Interstate Oil & Gas Compact Commission, and a member of the Pew Oceans Commission.

As governor, Knowles faced numerous issues related to public lands policy and national parks, according to the Anchorage Daily News. Knowles supports oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, according to the Alaska newspaper. He is a fly fisherman, as well as a cross-country skier and runner.