U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Denver) is one of three names being mentioned as President-elect Barack Obama's new Secretary of the Interior, according to the Associated Press.

Along with Salazar, other potential candidates for Interior Secretary on the AP's list include former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber and former Alaska Gov. Tony Knowles.

Salazar's fellow Coloradan, former Denver Mayor Federico Pena, is on a 12-member advisory board to help Obama select Cabinet members for his incoming administration.

Pena told CBS4 on Friday that "It would irresponsible of me to list any particular names."

But Pena told CBS4 that the new secretary of the Interior may well come from the West.

"(It) would not be surprising at all, or a secretary of energy, or other positions frankly," Pena said. "There are lots of areas that Westerners can fill."

When the Associated Press asked Salazar about a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court, his eyes gleamed and his demeanor changed. But he told the AP that it was too early to speculate about that.

 "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Salazar told the AP.

Back in August, Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter was talked about as a possible choice for Energy Secretary. Ritter told the AP on Wednesday that he hasn't been approached by Obama's team about a possible Cabinet post -- but he didn't reject the idea outright.

"I haven't talked to anybody, and nobody has talked to me," Ritter said.

Also named to Obama's transition team was Don Gips, vice president of Broomfield-based Internet network operator Level 3.