Mitt's Catch

Here's a tidbit of holiday cheer: Massachusetts Gov.-elect Mitt Romney (R) has picked Douglas Foy to fill a key position in his administration, and environmentalists couldn't be more delighted with the choice. As president of the Conservation Law Foundation since 1977, Foy has been an outspoken advocate of environmentally friendly urban planning. (He's also made it a habit of riding his bike to work from his home 20 miles away.) At CLF, he helped force the cleanup of Boston Harbor, halted oil and gas drilling on Georges Bank, demanded cleaner power plants, and improved or halted dozens of major development projects throughout the state. In his new position as head of Commonwealth Development under Romney, Foy will coordinate the policies and activities of the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, the Executive Office of Transportation, and the Department of Housing and Community Development. Enviros are thrilled that he will wield so much power in the new administration. But the head honcho at the Massachusetts Petroleum Council expressed alarm about what he called the "extremist, anti-automobile bias" of CLF.