Republicans aren’t advertising it, but a pro-growth bonus in the Senate tax cut bill is that it finally opens up a small part of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) for oil and gas drilling. Like the rest of the tax bill, Republicans can pass it with a GOP-only majority of 50. Or put to it another way, Lisa Murkowski’s ship has come in. The Alaska Senator chairs the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which in early November passed legislation 13-10 (with West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin joining Republicans) requiring the Interior Department to offer drilling rights leases in ANWR’s coastal plain within 10 years. The Budget Committee wrapped this into the broader tax reform that the Senate is expected to pass as soon as Friday. Whether or not this accounts for Ms. Murkowski’s […]