That's understandable and appropriate. We definitely want our new senator to think for himself.

But he needs to work fast. Our congressional delegation should unite behind both proposals, both to protect two of the state's crown jewels and to honor the memory of the late Sen. Craig Thomas.

When it comes to the Snake Headwaters Legacy Act of 2007, there's not a lot to debate. Before his death, Thomas introduced the bill to protect 443 miles of the Snake River and several tributaries under the federal Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. The legislation would protect the rivers from dam building and water quality degradation while ensuring that access, multiple use and private property rights are not restricted.

The bill already excludes streams in Sublette and Lincoln counties. Thomas pulled those waters from the proposal in response to concerns from elected officials in those counties. Protecting the 443 miles that remain in the bill has strong support from a diverse coalition of people in northwest Wyoming, would not disrupt current uses of the waters, and could significantly boost state tourism.

Thomas's other effort, protecting the Wyoming Range from further oil and gas leasing, could be trickier for Barrasso, Sen. Mike Enzi and Rep. Barbara Cubin. But they need to pick up where the late senator left off and work to preserve the picturesque area of western Wyoming from rapidly advancing energy development.

At the time of his death June 4, Thomas reportedly was just days away from introducing a bill to both curb further oil and gas leasing in the Wyoming Range and retire leases acquired from energy companies by conservation groups. The bill was already drafted and awaiting technical comments from the U.S. Forest Service. The measure was certain to be complex, requiring cooperation from industry, environmentalists and federal agencies.

As a senior senator with a long track record of advocacy for Wyoming's traditional mineral and agriculture industries, Thomas was perhaps in a unique position to pull off the deal. He could use his influence and credibility to pull together the various stakeholders to accomplish something important for future generations of Wyomingites.

Barrasso, in spite of his pro-industry record in the Wyoming Legislature, may not have the ability that could only come from years of service in Congress to carry on Thomas's effort. That's why Enzi and Cubin also need to get involved.

There's no time to waste. PXP, a company that holds leases in the area and proposed to drill a few exploratory wells, on June 11 indicated it plans to go forward with full-field development in the Hoback Rim area. Federal agencies will now study that revised proposal, but it's clear that unless Congress acts soon, drilling could be in full swing in the Wyoming Range and its foothills.

Especially late in his career, Craig Thomas showed that it's possible to be an advocate for both the environment and for the energy industry. Barrasso and our other two representatives in Congress should follow his example. These two efforts championed by Thomas himself are a good place to start.