The Economic Perspective 4/24/2026
- Apr 24
- 5 min read
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 The Economic Perspective! Earth Day was this Wednesday, and it is a good time to celebrate the importance of conservation and environmental protections for Earth across the globe. You can find a list of Earth Day events this weekend in your area here.
National Work Zone Awareness Week is this week, and WSDOT and FDOT have both released information on construction work zone accidents with motorists. This information is meant to help educate people on best practices to ensure safety or themselves and construction workers. You can read more about it here and here.
Next week TBG is heading to the Florida Association of Environmental Professionals (FAEP) Annual Conference! TBG's Valerie Seidel, Cortney Cortez, Laila Racevskis, Nate Wilbur, Allison Campbell, and Sofia Navarro will be in attendance. We are proud to sponsor this year's conference and have several presentations being showcased. Check out the program here for when TBG will showcase our work.
In this week's edition, we cover a range of topics that includes efforts to conserve salt marshes on the Atlantic coast in the southeast, developments in biogas extraction from sewage sludge, a new law in Florida allowing FDOT to fund vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, and more. Our Data Visualization covers energy demand being covered by increased renewable usage in 2025!
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Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida Partner to Conserve Salt Marshes
North and South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida have entered into a partnership to help conserve coastal salt marshes. These coastal salt marshes provide needed protections for both habitats and communities, including numerous coastal military installations. The conservation plans are hoping to leverage the use of living shorelines, land acquisitions, financial incentives for private landowners, and protection zones depending on the state and area. Coordination with local governments will assist with the use of best management practices and partnerships will extend to state and federal agencies, along with the military, and non-profit organizations. A regional plan was released in 2023 which can be found here, and more information can be read here.
Washington's Wolf Population Rebounds 17% in 2025
The Washington Gray Wolf Conservation and Management 2025 Annual Report was released last week, with findings signaling a rebound for Washington’s gray wolf population in 2025. The population grew 17% after dipping in 2024, reaching a record minimum count of 270 wolves across 49 packs and 23 breeding pairs. New and reestablished packs signal continued recovery, though gaps remain in some regions. While wolf-livestock conflicts occurred, 90% of packs were not involved in depredations, highlighting coexistence progress. Ongoing monitoring and collaboration with tribes and agencies remain critical as Washington balances conservation success with ecosystem and community impacts. Read more here and here.
WSU Gets More Biogas Bang for its Buck
Researchers at Washington State University (WSU) announced this week that they have developed and tested a novel approach to extracting renewable natural gas from sewage sludge. While the process of processing the sewage via anaerobic digestion is not a new concept, WSU researchers led a pilot study to examine the effects of both pretreating the sewage with heat, pressure, and added oxygen prior to the digestion process, and utilizing a patented bacterial strain developed on-campus. The results are promising; whereas normal anaerobic digestion produces a mixture of carbon dioxide and methane, WSU’s bacterial strain produced gas verified to be 99% pure methane, and cost to process the sewage fell from $494 per ton of dry solids to $253. Read more about this exciting discovery here!
New FL Law Allowing FDOT to Fund Vertiports for VTOLs
This past Monday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed an unanimously supported bill, HB 1093, into law which allows the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to fund public vertiports. A vertiport is a specialized infrastructure design for vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, connecting passengers and cargo to city centers and airport hubs. The bill takes effect at the beginning of next fiscal year on July 1st, and allows the FDOT to fund 100% of project costs if federal funds are unavailable, and 80% of the nonfederal share if the federal funds are available. Advocates state that by adopting this bill, Florida will persist as the national leader in aerospace and aviation, while also supporting high-paying jobs, easing traffic concerns, and increasing tourism. Read more here and here. (Image source: WUSF).
Council on Environmental Quality Issues New Permitting Guidelines
The White House’s Council on Environmental Quality has released new guidance with the goal of expanding categorical exclusions under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Supporters of these categorical exclusions claim that they allow environmental review to be bypassed for projects that have limited environmental impact or where their impacts are well understood. While the released guidelines are not a mandate, they have strong suggestion toward these bypasses. The Supreme Court’s decision in the Seven County Infrastructure Coalition will also likely increase the use of categorical exclusions. These policy and guideline shifts follow similar efforts toward restructuring the National Environmental Policy Act and how it is enforced. Read more here and here.
Washington State Ferries Releases Service Contingency Plan
In the wake of Washington State’s 2026 Supplemental Budget, Washington State Ferries (WSF) released a modified contingency plan considering both long-term service strategy and the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup. In just one year, WSF has seen an increase in overall ridership of 5%, with some routes experiencing an increase of nearly 32%; meanwhile, WSF is expecting an even greater influx of riders during the World Cup, with plans for additional staff, vessels, and maintenance plans to keep up. This surge comes at a time when most ferries in the fleet will be at or nearing the end of their 60-year lifespan by 2040. Governor Ferguson has allocated $1.1 million in the supplemental budget to acquire six additional ferries by 2032 to maintain the existing service levels and adapt to the growing demand. Read the full WSF plan here and see budget highlights here.
Data Visualization of the Week
Study Reveals in 2025, Renewable Energy Meets Demand Growth for Electricity
A study by Ember, a global thinktank, reveals that in 2025, the year’s growth in global electricity demand was met by the increase in renewable sources. As seen in the chart below, which graphs annual change in electricity generation versus demand, solar power represents 75% of the increase while the remainder is mainly met by wind. In comparison, the annual change in fossil fuel-driven electricity production remained flat. Countries leading the charge towards renewables include China, who comprises more than half of the increase, along with India showing large gains. The U.S. has seen increased natural gas production, with fossil fuel markets benefiting from geopolitical shocks that may encourage further investment in production capacity. However, higher prices can also improve the competitiveness of renewable energy as consumers face rising costs. Read more here. (Image source: The Guardian, Ember).
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