The Economic Perspective 10/24/2025

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! 

Hello and welcome back to another Economic Perspective! Last Friday, TBG’s Laila Racevskis attended the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation’s Mind the Gaps workshop in Monticello, FL, where she had the opportunity to present on Payments for Ecosystem Services as a tool to help protect lands in the Florida Wildlife Corridor in Leon, Jefferson, and Wakulla Counties. Laila also attended the fall meeting of the TriRivers Waterway Development Association and Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint Stakeholders group this week, where she presented on the research TBG has been conducting for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve on improving collaboration for ecological restoration in the Apalachicola Watershed. Both meetings were great opportunities to hear from other speakers and interested parties about all the exciting and innovative work happening in the region related to natural resource management and protection!

In this edition of the Economic Perspective, we dive into efforts behind the Washington State Indian Creek oil spill cleanup, wildfire impacts on air quality in the state and their efforts to lead a lawsuit against the EPA. We also highlight extreme heat research in San Diego, Florida's potential housing market stabilization, and last but certainly not least, mushroom-powered toilets!

Our data visualization covers the Bureau of Labor Statistics' latest report on Metropolitan Area rates of unemployment across the United States, with some interesting insight into Washington and Florida rates.

Please feel free to forward this to anyone you think would be interested. If you’d like to view previous editions please click here, or to subscribe please click here!

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!

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2025 Wildfire Smoke Disrupts Air Quality in Washington

Washington’s 2025 wildfire season started mildly but intensified in late August as lightning, heat, and dry winds fueled widespread fires. Central and Eastern Washington saw extended unhealthy air days, while shifting winds brought smoke to Puget Sound. The Bear Gulch Fire near Lake Cushman became Olympic National Park’s largest on record, blanketing much of the state in haze. Beyond health and environmental damage, smoke-related disruptions strain local economies, impacting tourism, outdoor labor, and small businesses dependent on clean air and clear skies. Read more here. (Image credit: Washington Department of Ecology).

Series of Lawsuits Filed Against the EPA

The EPA recently cancelled a $7 billion program that was making solar power available for low-income housing. Established under the Inflation Reduction Act, Solar For All was established to help reduce carbon pollution and increase accessibility. As a result of the EPA’s cancellation of the program, over 20 states are suing the EPA. Another lawsuit is also being filed by a team of nonprofits and solar installers. A third lawsuit has been filed by solar companies, homeowners, nonprofits, and unions as well. These lawsuits aim to challenge the authority the EPA has to rescind grant money already given out and the impact it will have on jobs and accessibility.  Read more here

Indian Creek Cleanup Unites Local Entities and Remains Open for Salmon

65 organizations responded to the oil spill that happened at Indian Creek back on July 18th, consisting of local, state, and tribal entities. First on the scene was Clallam 2 Fire Rescue, shortly followed by the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe with their spill trailer in tow. Cleanup strategies included deploying oil absorbing materials into the creek with frequent replacements, using fencing to prevent more wildlife from wandering into the spill site, and flushing trapped oil out to be cleaned. Ultimately, efforts contributed to the cleanup of an estimated 2,798 gallons of gasoline and 172 gallons of diesel. Site assessments and environmental monitoring of the river will be ongoing as restoration efforts continue, and the creek remains open for salmon passage thanks to those efforts. Read more here. (Image credit: Washington Department of Ecology).

Filling Gaps for Workers Facing Extreme Heat

San Diego State University researchers are studying to understand how health conditions associated with heat stress continue to impact farmers as global climate conditions continue to shift. Over two years, they’ve collected year-round data from 300 farmworkers throughout the Imperial Valley located in southern California, which has experienced breaking temperatures in recent years while providing two-thirds of winter vegetables consumed nationwide. Data has been collected by heat body sensors measuring core body temperature and heart rate, along with using environmental monitors that measure the wet-bulb globe temperature, which is considered the best metric to understand heat stress. The researchers have already produced some findings, along with a study that provides recommendations for how frequently breaks should be taken to protect workers, which differs from current California policy. The research aims to fill public health data gaps and guide worker protection policies, providing implications for warmer regions nationwide. Read more here..

UBC Reveals Toilet Powered by Mushrooms

University of British Columbia researchers have been developing a waterless toilet powered by mushrooms. The toilet will use the roots of mushrooms, mycelia, that will turn human waste into compost. The mushrooms will replace chemical treated toilet options, reducing usages of formaldehyde and other chemicals. The toilet, in its pilot program, was installed at the UBC Botanical Garden on September 26th. The hope is that it will provide safe waste management for parks, cities, and remote locations and provide 600 liters of soil and 2,000 liters of liquid fertilizer annually. Read more here.

Florida Housing Market Heads Towards Stabilization as Concerns Remain

The University of Central Florida’s (UCF) Institution for Economic Forecasting released a new October forecast covering various economic indicators for Florida statewide. A quieter-than-expected hurricane season up to this point has reduced pressures concerning homeowners’ insurance premiums that have historically been a contributor to the housing affordability problem. Within the housing market, stabilization has occurred since inventories are normalizing, but insurance premiums still loom on homeowners. In 2022, total housing starts were around 193,000 before heightened mortgage rates and a slowing economy began a downwards trend that will decrease 2025 start numbers to 156,000. However, despite the reduction, demand for housing remains heightened due to current Florida demographics. Observing the housing market can provide a glimpse into other sectors that are dependent or complementary throughout Florida to help decision-making. Read more here.

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Data Visualization of the Week

New BLS Report Highlights Metropolitan Unemployment Rates Across the Country

A new Bureau of Labor Statistics report released earlier this month used the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program to estimate the unemployment rates for 387 metropolitan statistical areas across the US. They found that in nearly 63% of metropolitan areas, unemployment rates in August were higher than the prior year, with about 30% of areas seeing lower rates. In Florida, the lowest unemployment rate is in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach area at 3.7%, with the south-central and inland regions seeing higher rates closer to 5.5% and as high as 7.6%. Washington state coastal areas hover around 4.6%, comparable to the national rate of 4.5% which did not change much from the prior year’s numbers. Read more here. (Image credit: Bureau of Labor Statistics)