Elizabeth Harball, Alaska's Energy Desk

Washington congresswoman will likely lead Trump’s Interior Department

Multiple national news outlets are reporting President-elect Donald Trump is set to pick Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican congresswoman from Washington state, to lead the Department of Interior. She’s seen as friendly to industry, drawing criticism from some environmentalists. But others think she’s a relatively moderate pick.

In looming fight over ANWR, a big unanswered question: how much oil is there?

The coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge ranks as one of the most controversial chunks of land in Alaska. Since Congress set it aside for more study in 1980, environmental groups, politicians and industry have battled over whether to explore for oil there or to protect the wilderness forever. As the Trump administration gets ready to take the White House in January, the debate will likely flare up again. But even though the fight’s dragged on for decades, there’s still a lot we don’t know about what lies beneath the refuge.

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