How Murkowski helped move Biden on Willow

For nearly two years, Sen. Lisa Murkowski played the long game on expanding drilling in Alaska: She voted for many of President Joe Biden’s key nominees. She backed several of the Democratic president’s legislative priorities. And all the while, she bent the ears of top White House officials every chance she could.

All that work has paid off — in a big way.

On Monday, the Interior Department, at Biden’s direction, announced it would move forward with a scaled-back, but still expansive, plan for energy extraction in the Alaska Republican’s...