Tom Sansonetti is one of three candidates seeking to fill the Senate vacancy resulting from the recent death of Craig Thomas (R-WY). Sansonetti's nine page bio/resume was filed last week with the Wyoming GOP and can be found at this link -- and here's a short passage quoted from page nine:

"As Assistant Attorney General, Tom also supervised litigation that had great impact on the people of Wyoming and the West. He defended the Bush Administration's effort to keep a full range of recreational opportunities, including snowmobile, available to the visitors in Yellowstone National Park..."

Giving Sanonetti the credit he is due, it now seems appropriate to suggest that he is one of the five most important players in the never-ending Yellowstone snowmobile access issue. Of these five, three (Sansonetti, William Horn and Derrick Crandall) also have in common the fact they they recently pleaded for leniency for former Deputy Secretary of Interior, J. Steven Griles.

 

It was, in fact, while reading Sansonetti's May 15th letter to the Judge in the Griles case that I discovered Sansonetti previously headed the Bush-Cheney transition team for the Department of Interior in 2000-2001 and that, in Sansonetti's own words: "I introduced Steve to Interior Secretary Norton as a potential candidate for Deputy Secretary."

 

It was in that position, as Deputy Secretary, that Griles got into such great trouble and became a convicted felon.

 

Three questions now come to mind. 

Pasted below is the list of members on Sansonetti's Interior Transition Team.

 

Scott

On June 14, 2004, the Department of Justice asked energy industry officials to help the federal government in fighting lawsuits filed by environmental groups that question oil and gas drilling on public lands. Assistant Attorney General Tom Sansonetti said, "we need help. Sometimes, two or three of our attorneys are matched up against entire law firms." 

 

Update -  Wyoming Governor Freudenthal, a Democrat, chose John Barrasso over Cheyenne attorney Tom Sansonetti and former state Treasurer Cynthia Lummis.

 

Terry Anderson, The Political Economy Research Center
Phil Baker - Shenk Dorsey & Whitney LLP
Bruce Benson, Benson Minerals Group
Jason Campbell, Public Lands Council
Gary Caruthers, Former Governor of New Mexico
Greg Casey, BIPAC
Carol Dinkins, Vinson & Elkins LLP
Steve Griles, National Environmental Strategies
The Honorable Wally Hickel, Former Secretary of Interior
The Honorable Don Hodel, Former Secretary of Interior
William Horn, Former Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife and Parks
Mary Pope Hutson, Lowcountry Open Land Trust
Cy Jamison, Jamison & Sullivan
William Jarrell, Preston, Gates, Ellis
Lesley Kane, The Trust for Public Land
Tom Kiernan National Parks and Conservation Association
Ray Ludwiszewski, Gibson, Dunn, Crutcher LLP
Tim McCrum, Crowell, Moring LLP
Patty McDonald, Former Western Representative, Department of Interior
Alby Modiano, U.S. Oil & Gas Association
Henson Moore, American Forest & Paper Association
Terry O'Connor, Arch Coal
Steve Quarles, Crowell & Moring LLp
Hal Quinn, National Mining Association
The Honorable Marc Racicot, Governor of Montana
Dave Reynolds, Association of California Water Agencies
Jim Ridenour, Indiana University
Mark Rubin, American Petroleum Institute
Jennifer Salisbury, State of New Mexico
Jim Souby, Western Governors' Association
Marty Suuberg, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
Gary Taylor, International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
John Turner, The Conservation Fund
Rob Wallace, General Electric
The Honorable Malcolm Wallop, Frontiers of Freedom
Tom Weimer, National Academy of Engineering Program Office
Don Young, Ducks Unlimited
Ken Zangara, Zangara Dodge

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