WASHINGTON - Randall Luthi, the former speaker of the Wyoming House, will move to Washington soon to take on a new role as deputy director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

"I've just completed what I thought were a wonderful 12 years in the Legislature," Luthi said. "Now I'm interested in working on something else."

Luthi, whose appointment was announced by Sen. Craig Thomas, R-Wyo., said his first day on the job would be Feb. 20. He said the job would last for this year and next at the longest.

"I wouldn't be interested if this were a career," he said. "It's at most to finish up the Bush administration."

Luthi noted that in the late 1980s he worked in the Interior Department's solicitor's office, where he dealt with states on Endangered Species Act issues.

"I've always been interested in the Fish and Wildlife Service," he said. "I felt like I could bring back some of my old experience."

He would again like to work on endangered species, he said. As for specific changes to the act, Luthi said he will need to be briefed on where the Interior Department wants to head. But he noted that Secretary Dirk Kempthorne "is very interested in making some changes in policy."

Luthi will likely have some role if wolves are delisted from Endangered Species Act protection, a move that could occur as early as this year.

"I suspect they'll be wanting to look at, make sure on the use of science, make sure you've got landowner cooperation when you do list a species because that becomes so important," Luthi said. "Some of the most crucial habitat is on private land. You want to make sure you've got their support before you go and start telling them what to do."

Some of his other job responsibilities are yet to be determined, he said.

"I suspect I'll be involved somewhat with the National Elk Refuge," said Luthi, who lives in Freedom. "That's near to my home and also near to my heart."

Luthi said he expects 90 percent of the issues he deals with to generate some controversy, adding that he's looking forward to the challenge.

"I trust my skills through 12 years in the Legislature will help me with that," he said.

While he was finishing up his term as Wyoming House speaker, Luthi said, he heard there was an opening at the Fish and Wildlife Service and contacted Thomas about it.

The senator first made calls about Luthi to the White House while Thomas was in the hospital shortly after being diagnosed on Election Day with leukemia, his office said.

Since then, "it's been an interview process and a White House clearance process," Luthi said.

The Freedom native currently is a partner in the law firm Luthi & Voyles in Thayne, Wyo. He previously served as a senior counselor in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration from 1990 to 1993 and in the solicitor's office of the Interior Department from 1986 to 1990.

He returned to Wyoming to run his family's ranch after the death of his father.

Luthi also served as an aide to former Wyoming GOP Sen. Alan Simpson and then-Rep. Dick Cheney. Luthi replaces Ken Stansell, who has been acting deputy director since February 2006.

Before his official appointment can take effect, there must be a notice in the Federal Register and a 30-day public comment period.

The Wyoming delegation praised Luthi's appointment.

"We need good people in important places who understand clearly the careful balance between our special wildlife and natural resources and the people who live and work around them," Thomas said in a statement. "Randall is just that person. He has a passion for the outdoors - the West in particular - and will be a significant leader in the Department of the Interior."

Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., and Rep. Barbara Cubin, R-Wyo., both praised Luthi's appointment.

"This is great news for Wyoming and the country," Enzi said. "I served with Randall when I was in the Wyoming Legislature and have worked with him since I got to Washington. He is a great pick. He's got the legal expertise combined with knowledge of issue intricacy from his legislation experience. More importantly, he has the knowledge of the West that makes him uniquely qualified."

"Having a man with Randall's Wyoming-bred values and integrity in this position will be an asset to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and all those the agency serves," Cubin said. "As someone who has made his home in areas impacted by the Endangered Species Act, he is aware of the balanced approach necessary when weighing the multiple uses of our public lands and resources."