In his roughly 20-minute maiden speech on the Senate floor Monday, the newest senator also outlined his background, journey to the Senate and conservative philosophy.

Barrasso said he will have his name attached to a Thomas bill called the Snake River Headwaters Legacy Act of 2007. It designates sections of the Snake River and several tributaries as wild and scenic, which announces that the river is "the best of the best," he said.

"The legislation he was working on also ensures that access, multiple use and private property rights are not restricted," Barrasso said. "I will work hard for passage of a bill that achieves Senator Thomas' vision while balancing the concerns shared with me during August by private landowners and the agriculture community."

Barrasso will also co-sponsor rural health care legislation that fellow Republican Thomas was set to introduce the week he died. The bill has been renamed in Thomas's honor. An orthopedic surgeon, Barrasso promised to be actively engaged in health issues will also join the Rural Health Caucus, which Thomas co-chaired.

"He has left huge boots to fill," Barrasso said of Thomas. "No one can truly do it."

Barrasso noted that he visited every Wyoming county before Labor Day and has hosted 30 town meetings. He vowed to keep his pledge to "show up, to stand up, to speak up and then to shut up."

He also talked about the lessons he learned from his parents and recalled his path to politics. Emphasizing his conservative philosophy, Barrasso said government should have a limited role. He promised to champion legislation to cut wasteful spending and make sure taxpayers get value for their money.

He quoted a speech former president Teddy Roosevelt gave in Wyoming and said 100 years later "the lesson is still the same: the government can only supplement the work of the individual." He also quoted a speech Ronald Reagan gave in Cheyenne 25 years ago that the "future is ours to shape."

He ended by quoting from the biblical letter from Paul to Timothy.

"As I enter the Senate it is my goal to fight the good fight, to finish the race and to keep the faith -- faith in God, faith in my family, faith in Wyoming and faith in America," Barrasso added.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., congratulated him and said "we just heard one of the best maiden speeches."

Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., also welcomed him.

"I'm glad to have the help explaining Wyoming as you did so aptly in the speech," Enzi said. "There's a lot of work to be done out here teaching the East about the West so they understand better that 'one size fits all' does not work."

Enzi also noted that the junior senator had been in Jackson six times during August, traveling about 250 miles each way to get there.

"He has mentioned some things he wants to get done here," Enzi said. "Watch out for him, he'll get them done."

Thomas died June 4 while being treated for leukemia. The Wyoming Republican Party submitted Barrasso's name to Freudenthal along with two others after Thomas died.

Barrasso will serve until the beginning of 2009. A special election in November 2008 will decide who will finish Thomas' term, which extends to January 2013. Barrasso has said he intends to run in that election.