WASHINGTON — How could U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks turn down the post of secretary of the Interior in the Obama administration?
Easily, Dicks said Tuesday.
“I’m not even interested,” the representative of the 6th Congressional District — which includes Clallam and Jefferson counties — told the Peninsula Daily News.
“I’d rather be chairman of the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee and vice chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.”
Dicks’ name was blogged and bandied about the country after a writer for McClatchy newspapers put the Belfair Democrat’s name at the head of a speculative list of Interior possibles, who also include U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Seattle.
McClatchy publishes the Tacoma News Tribune, Olympia Olympian and Bellingham Herald in western Washington.
The Interior subcommittee Dicks chairs oversees spending for national parks, national forests, tribal lands and the Environmental Protection Agency.
It dovetails with Dicks’ views on an economic stimulus package making its way through Congress. The measure is weighted heavily with infrastructure projects, including a long list of long-deferred repairs and maintenance in national parks.
“That’s exactly what they’re talking about — roads, bridges, dam removal, all these things we need to do,” Dicks said.
“Any project that can start in 90 days is what we need to be looking at.
“The key thing is to get them started as quickly as possible.”
Earlier Tuesday, Dicks’ chief of staff, George Behan, scotched speculation that his boss — who easily won re-election to a 17th term on Nov. 4 over Republican attorney Doug Cloud of Gig Harbor — might seek a cabinet post.
“He’s not campaigning for that job in any way, shape or form,” Behan said.
The cabinet post guessing game didn’t draw the congressman in, he added.
Instead, Dicks was looking forward to working with a Democratic administration.
Dicks has served all his 32 years as a member of the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, and became its chairman two years ago when Democrats took control of Congress.
“He now will have the opportunity to work with an administration of the same party,” Behan said.
“This is the time that he has the opportunity to put that to real use.”
With his subcommittee chairmanship, Dicks hopes to bring parks “back from what has been a fairly tough budget circumstance the last 10 years,” Behan said.
“In the stimulus bill that is being compiled, there is a national parks and public lands component,” Behan said, in which Dicks would be “directly involved.”
The speculation about Dicks stemmed from a tradition of appointing Westerners to the Interior position, Behan said, due to their familiarity with public lands, tribal issues and environmental questions.
Also on the McClatchy list were Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar, Sally Jewell, who is CEO of Recreational Equipment Inc., and Dicks’ congressional colleague, Inslee.
“I’m supporting him,” Dicks said.
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Reporter Jim Casey can be reached at 360-417-3538 or at jim.casey@peninsuladailynews.com.
