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Jack Betts adds his two cents to the speculation on Environment secretary.

Responding to a post in Dome yesterday, the Charlotte Observer columnist said he thinks Sen. Dan Clodfelter would be a good choice for the Cabinet post.

Clodfelter is a highly knowledgeable workhorse on a variety of issues, including the environment. He was a key player in the long campaign to adopt better stormwater runoff rules. He's also an effective senator and skilled legislator, so if he were appointed, it would be a loss to the Senate for his expertise and judgment — but a gain for the administration for the same reasons. 

Dome has heard one more name for the secretary of Environment and Natural Resources.

Sen. Dan Clodfelter, a five-term Charlotte Democrat who currently sits on the Committee on Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources, is reportedly interested in the job.

He joins a long list of names, including current Secretary Bill Ross, parks director Lewis Ledford, former Secretary Bill Holman, Creedmoor Mayor Darryl Moss, conservationist Reid Wilson, transportation board member Nina Szlosberg and consultant Freda Porter.

One more name has surfaced for Environment Secretary.

Darryl Moss was recently appointed to the N.C. Environmental Management Commission, where he sits on committees on air quality, groundwater and water management.

A client manager with Champion Solutions Group in Raleigh, he has been mayor of Creedmoor since 1999.

Previously: Environmentalists suggest names; insiders also mentioned.

Who might serve as Environment Secretary?

Gov.-elect Beverly Perdue has not made any announcements yet on her Cabinet pick to lead the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Current Secretary Bill Ross, who has served since 2001, is reportedly interested in sticking around and did not rule it out when asked by Dome recently.

Other names that have come up with varying degrees of likelihood: Lewis Ledford and Bill Holman. 

Ledford currently works as director of the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation, which oversees state parks.

Holman served as executive director of the Clean Water Management Trust Fund until last year, when he left to become a visiting scholar at Duke University.

Which Cabinet member supervises the most employees?

By far, the Secretary of Correction.

The N.C. Department of Correction's huge staff of prison guards and probation workers makes it the largest of the 10 agencies overseen by appointees of the governor.

Below, the number of permanent full-time employees, according to the Office of State Personnel.

Correction: 19,328

Health and Human Services: 16,863

Transportation: 12,550

Environment and Natural Resources: 3,505

Crime Control: 2,799

Revenue: 1,438

Juvenile Justice: 1,186

Administration: 753

Commerce: 716

Cultural Resources: 706

Which Cabinet appointment oversees the most money?

The Secretary of Health and Human Services, by far.

A review of the 2007-08 budget shows that the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services had by far the largest amount of spending — nearly three times as much as expenditures for the rest of the Cabinet positions combined.

Health and Human Services: $16.5 billion

Transportation: $3.5 billion

Correction: $1.2 billion

Environment and Natural Resources: $329.8 million

Crime Control: $206.2 million

Juvenile Justice: $168.8 million

Commerce: $115.7 million

Revenue: $109.2 million

Administration: $108.3 million

Cultural Resources: $82.1 million

A caveat: The figures above include money received from both federal and state sources. Nearly three-fourths of Health and Human Services funding comes from the federal government.

The revised numbers for 2008-09 are not yet available.

Bill Ross is not ruling out working for Beverly Perdue.

In an e-mail to Dome, the secretary of Environment and Natural Resources did not rule out continuing in his job for the governor-elect.

"Any decision about who will lead the Department of Environment and Natural Resources will come from Gov.-elect Perdue and her team," he said. "I'm grateful for the opportunity I've had to serve and I plan to continue to work on the conservation and protection of our natural resources whatever the future holds."

Ross has long been rumored to be interested in staying.

Maybe there's an alternative to the trees vs. billboards argument environmentalists and sign owners have every year.

And maybe a group meeting under the auspices of the state Department of Transportation will find that Third Way, Lynn Bonner reports.

Over the past few years, environmental groups have successfully fought billboard owners' attempts to cut more trees around their signs so that people passing by have longer to read them.

They were tough fights that pitted billboard-loving senators against environmental groups, the DOT and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Last week, group representing billboard owners, environmental groups, local governments, petroleum marketers, restaurants and hotels began meeting to try to fashion compromises on tree rules, zoning issues and other billboard matters.

The group is using a facilitator and plans to meet twice a month to come up with new rules, said Ted Sherrod, a DOT roadside environmental engineer.

"I guess using the expertise from a facilitator will hopefully allow us to end up with a third alternative that’s better than what we've ended up with before," he said.

Will the Iron Cabinet outlast Easley?

At least three members of Gov. Mike Easley's administration may be interested in continuing in their posts, according to reliable sources in Raleigh:

Bryan Beatty: The former director of the State Bureau of Investigation has headed the N.C. Department of Crime Control and Public Safety since 2001. But will continuing problems with the State Highway Patrol dog him?

Bill Ross: The environmental attorney has been head of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources since 2001 and claims the Clean Smokestacks Bill and the purchase of Chimney Rock State Park among his accomplishments.

Dempsey Benton: The newest member of Easley's Cabinet may have the best shot at staying. Brought in to clean up problems with the mental health system, the former Raleigh city manager was even cited as a keeper by Republican candidate Fred Smith.

Already, Easley's Cabinet is well-known for its longevity, with many of the original appointees from 2001 still serving.

Keeping some on board could be politically difficult for Gov.-elect Beverly Perdue, who promised to run a more hands-on administration.