President-elect Barack Obama will name New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) as Secretary of the Department of Commerce, The Washington Post reports.

As governor, Richardson has appointed more Native Americans to Cabinet seats, boards, commissions and other positions. He elevated the Indian Affairs Department to the Cabinet level and supported a record number of Indian bills.

As a Congressman during the 1990s, Richardson was in charge of the House committee that oversaw all Indian legislation. During his tenure, the Indian trust reform act of 1994 was passed.

When he was Secretary of the Department of Energy during the Clinton administration, Richardson reaffirmed the government-to-government relationship and established consultation policies. He also returned 84,000 acres to the Northern Ute Tribe of Utah.

At Commerce, Richardson would deal with some endangered species designations, salmon in the Pacific Northwest, the whaling rights of the Makah Nation of Washington and subsistence hunts of Alaska Natives.

Get the Story:
Obama to Name Richardson for Commerce Post (The Washington Post 12/3)
Obama Teams Are Scrutinizing Federal Agencies (The Washington Post 12/3)

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