The Economic Perspective 6/13/2025

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!

And good afternoon! This week, TBG’s Laila Racevskis attended the 2025 Landowner Assistance Expo in Sebring, FL, and assisted at the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation’s table to share information and assess interest from landowners in potentially participating in a Payment for Ecosystem Services program funded through a REPI Challenge grant within the Avon Park Air Force Range Sentinel Landscape. Throughout the day, landowners at the expo learned from local, state, federal, and private entities about the numerous options available to them that provide financial and technical assistance for working lands protection and conservation. It was a great event with lots of great information shared and new connections made – thanks to the Central Florida Regional Planning Council and Highlands County Soil and Water Conservation District for organizing such a great event!

Additionally, Amy Bainbridge & Brandon Bainbridge took TBG to Vancouver, Canada to present on current natural capital trends in the U.S. at the International Association for Society and Natural Resources 2025 Conference. 

This week (Monday, June 9 through Monday, June 16) is Sea Turtle Week! This annual campaign led by NOAA highlights the threats that different species of sea turtles face, and celebrates their beauty and importance in maintaining various marine ecosystems. Take some time this weekend to learn more about these keystone species and what you can do to save them. Read more here.

Additionally, our interns curated articles this week on the addition of new land to the Florida Wildlife corridor, upcoming Summer Forest Field Day events, Washington’s recent climate auction results, and more! This week's data visualization is from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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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Land Added to Florida Wildlife Corridor Following Cancellation of Golf Course Community Plans  

A parcel of land near the Withlacoochee State Forest is to be acquired by the state and added to the Florida Wildlife Corridor after resistance from the public shut down Cabot Citrus Farms' deal. The parcel is located in an area designated for the Annutteliga Hammock Florida Forever Project, which protects the longleaf pine sandhills habitat, home to endangered and rare species like the Eastern indigo snake, the Florida black bear, the gopher tortoise, and others. Read more here. 

Researchers Address the Benefits of Redeveloping Brownfields

Author Sesil Koutra and their team have proposed converting heavily-polluted, abandoned industrial sites, called brownfields, into wind and solar farms. Since the 1960s, many people have been hesitant to develop on brownfields, which has led to increased urban sprawl. Koutra’s team outline three benefits that could arise from turning brownfields into brightfields including: job creation and economic rehabilitation, the promotion of public health by addressing environmental and urban concerns, and increased investment that will aid in revitalizing affected communities. Read more here, and take a look at Koutra et. al’s publication here. 

AI Could Alleviate Labor Shortages in Construction

The current economic uncertainty, high attrition rates, and labor shortages that that construction firms are facing could set back big construction project plans in the United States. However, AI can be implemented alongside skilled workers to improve productivity and efficiency. AI can reduce the time spent on repetitive tasks, improve material efficiency and management, and augment design teams. Project development could be revolutionized by technology solutions like Building Information Modeling (BIM), digital twins, AI-powered generative design, and more tools. Read more here.

Upcoming Summer Forest Field Day in Washington

The WSDNR and Washington State University Extension are co-hosting Summer Forest Field Day events this month to educate forest landowners about crucial topics regarding the maintenance of a healthy forest. These topics will cover forest management, wildlife habitat, and other forest stewardship. These events will also be educating forest landowners about partners and programs that can also assist in keeping healthy and vibrant forests. The first event will be June 21 from 8 AM to 4:30 PM in Cle Elum. The second event will be on June 28 from 8 AM to 4 PM at Farrel-McWhirter Park in Redmond. Read more here. 

Emissions Allowances Sell Out Again 

At the tenth quarterly auction, through its Cap-and-Invest auction of emissions allowances raised an estimated $322 million for the state. This program cost-effectively reduces climate pollution by setting an annual cap on greenhouse gasses allowed in the atmosphere. Then businesses can compete for limited carbon dioxide allowance or reduce their emissions. Over time, WSDOE will lower the cap by auctioning fewer allowances. Read more here.

Digital Twin Technology Quickens Strawberry Farming

Dana Choi a UF/IFAS Professor and her team have been working on AI applications in the agriculture industry. A few years ago, Choi and her team built a digital strawberry field, a digital twin capturing every row, leaf, and berry at life size. This robot was detecting the fruit and gathering data on size and volume with an error of only 1.2 mm and 92% accuracy rate. With this advancement farmers will better tell when they should harvest their crops and predict their yields. Read more here.

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Data Visualization of the Week

CPI Interactive Breakdown – 12-month Percentage Change

Reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics the 12-month percent change in aggregate consumer spending has increased by 2.4%. Through the data visualization you can interact with the three categories. It breaks down the three sectors Food, Energy, All Items Without Food and Energy into smaller subsections with percent changes over the past 12-month period. Energy prices have decreased with commodities prices going down by 11.6% and services going up 6.8%. Other industry prices had an increase with Food up 2.9% and All Items Less Food and Energy up 2.8%. Read more here.