The Economic Perspective 5/29/2026

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! 

And happy American Wetlands Month! As we approach the end of the May, we want to acknowledge that any time is a great time to appreciate all of the ecological, social, and economic benefits that wetlands provide, such as water quality enhancements, wildlife habitats, and flood protection. Just in time to celebrate, Washington State Department of Ecology has been collecting wetland data for their 2026 National Wetland Condition Assessment. You can find more on their sampling efforts, the goal of the assessment, and some facts about wetlands on their website here.

In other news, claims of a peace deal being discussed between the US and Iran have cause crude futures to decline by 11%, but US refiners are still operating at a high capacity with oil reserve stocks declining as demand remains high. US oil companies are seeing significant profit margin increases as Asia looks to the Atlantic basin for oil with the Strait of Hormuz still closed.

We have a variety of articles for you this week, on issues great and small. We review news from Washington State, where we explore why gas prices are rising, and how the state will handle water allocation in the face of a historic drought; in Florida, we review the most recent legislation passed, and  in our Data visualization and articles, respectively. Reach out to us if you have questions and read more on all of this below!

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Washington State Grapples with Future of Water

As Washington State gears up for a hot, dry summer amidst a statewide drought, political leaders look to residents to inform water supply protection and allocation; the Washington State Department of Ecology and Governor Bob Ferguson have teamed up to launch Washington’s Water Future, an initiative to lead roundtable discussions with tribal and local governments as well as industry leaders, environmental groups, and community organizations. The discussions will help to inform policy and recommendations from the Department of Ecology to the Governor, helping Washington state get a head start on a problem that is likely to worsen in the coming years due to climate change. Read more here and here.

Technological Advancements for Parking Lots can Shape the Future

The Hampton Roads Planning District Commission in Virginia repaired a commercial parking lot to include porous concrete panels, sections with native plants, rigid concrete borders to catch sediment, and utilized recycled materials. The new panels allow for quick absorption of water before it puddles, reducing surface-level flooding and stagnation. Some cities have even required their public works departments to use permeable paving and reduce impervious surfaces to reduce water runoff and potential flooding. These new components can have higher costs upfront than traditional blacktop lots, but can benefit in other ways in the long term, including cooling and aesthetic improvements. As advancements in asphalt, such as resiliency and porosity continue, the future of parking lots can shape cities and commercial areas. Read more here.  Image courtesy of Flickr.

Frosted Flatwood Salamanders Threatened with Extinction

The Frosted Flatwood Salamanders are getting dangerously close to entering an extinction vortex, or a point where their population is too small to properly recover. Currently, efforts are being made to try and stop this from happening at the Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy. Larvae are being captured to be raised away from predation. However, even after being raised in captivity, declining habitat space remains a major concern for them. Efforts by the Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy have been successful but the species remains vulnerable and endangered. Read more specific about the threats they face here.

New Agricultural Technology Project to Open in Newberry

Newberry will host a new project from Harvest Singularity that will consist of two hydroponic greenhouses for the city’s AgFoodTech Innovation Park. These greenhouses will utilize robotics, artificial intelligence, and water-based growing systems to grow lettuce, kale, arugula, and other greens. This project is hoping to be a model for other agricultural systems around the country for more sustainable growing options that use up significantly less land and resources. Newberry is hoping the project will draw in further investment into the area. Read more about the project here. 

Port Tampa Bay Expands Cemex Terminal

Port Tampa Bay is set to increase its capacity for construction materials with a $36 million expansion of the Cemex aggregates terminal. The project is funded by Cemex and a grant from the Florida Department of Transportation. The expansion will allow the port to import more rocks, sand and gravel, benefiting infrastructure projects and creating jobs. "We can offload a full ship of rock, 60,000 tons, in about 20 hours," says Cemex Senior Vice President Jeff Bobolts. "So, this is one of the fastest off loaders in the state of Florida." In recent TBG interviews with financial markets, Florida's aggregate capacity was listed as a key stability indicator for capital investment in Florida.  Read more here.

Florida Passes New Budget

This week, FL Legislature passed the General Appropriations Act, HB 5001-E, an overall reduction from last year’s budget, both in total budget and per capita spending (from $115.1B total to $114.5B). Relevant highlights include: $2.9B for the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, including $425M going to Rural and Family Lands Protection Easements, $188.9M going to Citrus Research and Support (with an additional $39.6M to the Department of Citrus), and $4M going to Oyster Restoration; $2.46B to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, including $638.6M towards Everglades Restoration and $584.4M going to Water Quality Restoration; and $587.9M going to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, with the majority of funds allocated to staffing costs. Read the full budget here.

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Data Visualization of the Week

Uncertainty and Opportunity in Florida's Housing Market

According to Realtor and housing data firm ATTOM, of the top 50 counties in the US at risk for home price decline, 16 are located within Florida. The riskiest markets in Florida for house price decline are in Charlotte County, and in St. Lucie County, though also included in the national list is another place familiar to TBG: Charles County, MD. While bad for existing homeowners, these conditions have also given rise to unconventional means to satisfy the desire for first-time home ownership; According to National Mortgage Review and TD Bank, 74% of prospective first-time home buyers would be willing to consider a 50-year mortgage if one was available. Michigan real estate specialist Mitchell Peterek crunched the numbers and found that a $500,000 home at a 6% mortgage rate would be $2,997 in monthly payments for a 30-year mortgage versus $2,739 a month for a 50-year mortgage. But the total interest paid by the 50-year mortgage holder would work out to $1.64 million, as opposed to just over $1 million for a 30-year mortgage. Read the Realtor article here. Image courtesy of Realtor and ATTOM.