The Economic Perspective 1/30/2026

The Latest Trending Economic, Environmental and Infrastructure News Curated for You by The Balmoral Group

The Balmoral Group provides practical, professional and precise Economics, Data Analytics, and Engineering Consulting services and is part of a globally integrated team.

Happy Friday! 

Welcome back to another edition of the Economic Perspective! TBG teammates Dan Dourte and Wendy-Lin Bartels attended the 3rd Annual Cedar Key Oyster Roast last Saturday.  The event, put on by the Cedar Key Oystermen Association, included information on Levy County’s oyster restoration project.  TBG is supporting the County on this oyster restoration effort, with funds from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.  There were bushels and bushels of locally harvested oysters from near the project site, and it was great to hear from the community about the importance of improving oyster habitats.

This week's edition features articles that highlight a new bill in Florida that could impact housing developments and environmental restrictions, a new bill in the State of Washington with the goal of having data centers pay for increased utility costs, and challenges to natural gas access protections for newly constructed buildings in the State of Washington, and more. Our data visualization covers AI and satellite usage for tracking Algal hotspots. 

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Florida House of Representative Advances Bill to Limit Local Land Use Control, Curb Construction Fees, and Eliminate Environmental Boundaries in Miami-Dade County

House Bill 399 was advanced by the House Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee that would replace provisions in certain county charters that require supermajorities for land use map amendments to ones that require simple majorities. This would make the approval process for land use changes much easier. The bill will also have the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) study the impacts of removing urban development boundaries in Miami-Dade County and the impact this will have on housing costs, growth control, and environmental protection. Other provisions will target zoning and local government provisions in an attempt to reduce the rate housing projects are delayed or prevented. Opponents of the bill argue that risks to natural resources will increase with the passing of this bill as housing developments in south Florida will have less restrictions with their impacts on the surrounding environment. Read more here.

Washington Natural Gas Access Faces Legal Contention

Last Thursday, Washington Supreme Court justices heard arguments against Initiative 2066, a ballot measure ostensibly protecting access to natural gas service in newly constructed buildings which passed in 2024. Arguments were brought by environmental groups and local governments, claiming that not only is the measure unconstitutional by way of covering more than a single subject, it also works to dismantle and undermine existing climate policy. Supporters of the bill, including the Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW) argue that the measure is constitutional, and that each provision is relevant to the subject of access to and usage of natural gas. Read more here. 

Florida Gets a New State Park

On Friday January 26, Florida State Parks officially opened Shoal River Headwaters State Park with a celebration and guided tour that shown light on its scenic features and ecological significance. The 2,480 acre park is located just West of DeFuniak Springs. The new state park offers rolling terrain and forests upon the tributaries off of the Shoal River. “The park highlights our commitment to protecting Florida’s natural treasures while providing new ways for visitors to explore, experience and enjoy the outdoors.” Said Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Alexis Lambert. State Parks in Florida play a huge economic role for the communities in the state; Florida State Parks had over 28 million visitors last fiscal year, creating an estimated $3.6 billion in Florida economic impact. The land was also acquired through the Florida Forever program, aiming to protect the property by preserving water quality and maintaining wildlife corridors. Read more here.

Turning to Biochar, A Possible New Climate Solution

Miami-Dade County and the City of Coral Gables think they have found a new solution to yard waste and dead tree stockpiles, and that’s to burn them. This practice takes from ancient ways to take wood waste and turn it into a charcoal like material called biochar or “black carbon”. This material has the capabilities to clean dirty water, treat soil, and can even be used in road construction. Additionally, the emissions that is gives off when burning are less than that of a bonfire, ensuring cleaner and healthier air that contributes less to climate change. Read more here.

State Congress in Washington Hoping to Offload Energy Cost Increases to Data Centers 

The State of Washington’s legislation has introduced companion bills, House Bill 2515, and Senate Bill 6171 would raise rates on data centers and require disclosures on natural resource usage. The goal of these bills would be to offload the infrastructure expansion and energy demands that they require to be paid by the data centers instead of the population of the area like in many other parts of the country. The bills also have measures that during periods of energy shortages data center would be the first power cuts. Additional measures will push data centers to expediate rules to transition away from fossil fuels for data centers. Specifics of cost and timeline of this proposed bill can be found here.

Drone Tech to Monitor Washington Hatchery

In an effort to provide insight into possible improvements and the status of the Samish Hatchery in Washington State, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is employing drone technology to gather the needed information from the skies. The hatchery is located in Skagit County and typically hosts three different species of salmon: The Chinook, Coho, and Chum. The primary focus of the drones will be to gather information on the hatchery’s water intake, informing potential upgrades using topography and culvert condition information. Flights are set to begin sometime in January 2026, and will last through February 2029, with WDFW working with property owners and others in the area who may be impacted by the flights. Read more here. (Image source: WDFW).

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Data Visualization of the Week

AI and Satellites Reveal Algal Hotspots

Scientists from NOAA’s Satellite Applications and Research (STAR) scientists, in collaboration with the University of South Florida (USF) and other partners, have detected algal blooms and other floating vegetation with the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and satellite imagery from 2003 to 2022. The visualization shows the average density of floating algae, with warmer colors representing higher concentrations. It also shows the distribution of floating algae types, with regions along the U.S. east coast being mainly composed of seaweed. Improving understanding of the spatial distribution of phytoplankton supports informed coastal management and helps reduce economic impacts such as tourism losses due to degraded water quality. View here. (Image source: Qi et al., Nat Commu, 2026).