Obama chooses Salazar for Interior

CHICAGO — President-elect Barack Obama is nominating Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar to lead the Interior Department.

Salazar is expected to try to tap the nation's energy potential while also protecting natural resources. Obama has said he's looking for that balance.

In the Senate, Salazar opposed drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He objected to the Bush administration's efforts to lease Western lands for oil shale development.

The Obama administration will be deciding whether to go ahead with the leasing.

Obama says Salazar brings "an abiding commitment to this land that we love."