WASHINGTON -- Interior Secretary nominee Dirk Kempthorne made the rounds Monday on Capitol Hill to meet with senators who will vote on his nomination, discussing Western issues such as gray wolf delisting and national parks funding, among others.

The Idaho governor and former senator declined to talk publicly about matters he will deal with if confirmed, or to divulge concerns raised by senators during his informal discussions with them, which he said were going "very well."

Kempthorne is replacing former Secretary Gale Norton, who resigned after five years in the post.

"I must wait until the hearing itself before I make comments on specific issues," Kempthorne said. "That's the prerogative of the Senate, that's the process and so right now this is just an opportunity to say hello again to a number of my former colleagues and affirm that I look forward to working with them."

Asked about one of the more contentious issues he may encounter, snowmobiles in Yellowstone Park, Kempthorne predicted that the topic may come up at his nomination hearing, scheduled for May 4.

"I would well imagine that a number of the issues that are certainly of interest to the people out in the West will come up at the hearing," he said.

Kempthorne met for about 20 minutes with Sen. Craig Thomas, R-Wyo., late Monday afternoon.

"I'm pleased because he's a Westerner and the issues he's worked with are similar to the issues that we have in Wyoming and Montana and Idaho," Thomas said. "I think he's of course a protector of access to public lands and the use of these public facilities, as well as protecting the facilities."

Thomas said the two talked about the proposed removal of the gray wolf and the grizzly bear from the endangered species list. He said Kempthorne expressed optimism that he can work out a solution to the disagreement over the wolf.

The federal government wants to hand over management of the Northern Rockies wolves to the three states where they live, but first all three states must have federally approved wolf management plans. Montana and Idaho already have such plans; Wyoming has sued over the government's rejection of its plan.

"I think we can find a solution and I think as secretary he can certainly help," Thomas said of the wolf issue. "He thinks it's solvable."

Thomas said he told Kempthorne that funding cuts to the National Park Service in President Bush's proposed budget need to be restored.

"We talked a little bit about national parks and the funding for the parks and the need, and my support and others' support, for trying to bring back the dollars that the president has suggested be taken out of the budget," Thomas said. "I think parks are pretty much operating at a level that needs to be maintained."

Thomas said he does not expect much opposition to Kempthorne's nomination.

"I would expect that this nomination will bring about quite a little conversation about the environment and so on, but I don't expect him to have too much trouble getting recommended here from the Senate," Thomas said.

As for opening federal lands to energy development, Thomas said he and Kempthorne have worked together on the issue in the past.

"I feel comfortable that he accepts the proposition that most public lands should be available for multiple use," Thomas said. "There are those particular areas that should be set aside, of course, because of their characteristics and so on, and I agree with that. But for the most part, why, we ought to be able to go ahead with energy development on most lands, BLM and that sort of thing, in an environmentally sound way, and I think that's his position, too."

Thomas said he and Kempthorne discussed the possibility of traveling together to Wyoming to look at natural gas fields, areas where public lands concerns are growing and possibly the national parks, although a trip has not been scheduled.