Petersburg Pilot -

JUNEAU (AP) – Alaska Gov. Bill Walker on Monday expressed renewed hope for working with the federal government on oil, gas and land issues, praising President Donald Trump’s pick to head the Interior Department as “just what we need.”

Walker said he met informally with Interior secretary nominee Ryan Zinke while in Washington, D.C., for Trump’s inauguration.

He said Zinke, a Montana congressman, understood the challenges Alaska has had with access to federal lands for things like resource development.

“I think we’re going to have a very, very different relationship, certainly...