The Economic Perspective 8/21/2026
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! This week, we are reflecting on some of the awesome work we have the privilege to be involved in and the projects that we get to contribute to.
The Balmoral Group (TBG) works for The Gulf Consortium to implement Florida's State Expenditure Plan funding from the 2010 BP Oil Spill. One of the most rewarding parts of TBG’s work administering these RESTORE Council funds is seeing the real impact these investments can have on Gulf Coast communities. We recently heard from a local Cedar Key oyster harvester and community organizer involved with the Oyster ROCKS project in Levy County, who shared that the community is feeling incredibly positive about the effort, which has employed more than 60 local community members in restoring oyster habitat. A recent WUFT feature highlights how local harvesters are using their boats, experience, and generations of knowledge to rebuild reefs that support not only oysters, but water quality, wildlife habitat, shoreline resilience, and Cedar Key’s working-waterfront heritage. It’s a great reminder that behind the application, monitoring, and grant administration that we support are projects that truly restore ecosystems while strengthening and empowering communities and the livelihoods that depend on them. Read more on the project here.
The photo below was provided to us by Dr. Bill Pine, Scientific Advisor for the Oystermen's Association, depicting some of the restoration work being done. Thank you all for following along as we share these types of cool updates!
In other cool news, TBG's President and Principal Economist Valerie Seidel, Senior Economist Cortney Cortez, and Research Economist Elizabeth Mandell are heading to Greenville, SC, next week for SASHTO. They are going to talk all things transportation, economics, and infrastructure, and more about work happening across the region. If you are going to stop by, be sure to say hi and connect! Stay tuned for more updates on the event next week.
In this week's Economic Perspective, we have articles covering the steady above-average levels of warehouse injury rates, Columbia's new resource priorities, infrastructure funding, and more. Our data visualization features a new interactive biodiversity tool helping interested parties in Washington address the gap in aquatic species monitoring information.
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Warehouse Monitoring to Continue as Injury Rates Remain High
The American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) has reported that OSHA plans to continue with their updated National Emphasis Program (NEP) guidelines for warehouses as injury rates remain above average for workers. ARTBA members will likely face increased monitoring activities as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) works to lower injury rates. This monitoring will include inspection on powered industrial truck operations, material handling and storage, walking-working surfaces, and slip, trip, and fall hazards, emergency exits and egress, heat-related risks, ergonomics, and fire prevention and protection. Inspections will be comprehensive and ARTBA is recommending that members review all safety programs and address potential hazards. Read more here.
Colombia Pauses Some Oil Pumping as a Precautionary
Despite no damage having yet to be found on any oil pipelines, Colombia’s state controlled Ecopetrol’s Cenit transportation unit has paused some oil pipeline pumping as a precaution. The earthquake’s epicenter was located in the western areas of the country meaning that the oil and gas infrastructure in Colombia is likely unharmed as it is located in the eastern side of the country. However, a major port in Buenaventura may be affected as inspections continue searching for damages. Since the pause it has been reported that operations have been unaffected and resumed, although some electricity infrastructure has been affected. Read more here.
New Colombian President Supports Oil and Natural Gas
In a major policy shift for Colombia, their new President, Abelardo de la Espriella, has pledged to support oil, gas, and coal energy while they make an energy transition to solar and wind. While Espriella has stated he believes in the energy transition to green energy, and continued protections of the Amazon, he wants to ensure the country is also energy independent. As a result, Espriella is now renewing new oil and gas exploration contracts and hopes of rebuilding Ecopetrol. El Nino and its negative impacts on hydroelectric power are a listed concern for Espriella’s desire to have fossil fuel energy still readily available. Read more here.
Cities in Washington Prepare For "Super El Nino"
According to an earth climate scientist at UC Berkeley, around 90% of global climate models are predicting an El Niño event this year stronger than any event since records began in the mid-1800s. While some cities in Washington State have been able to implement emergency flood protection measures, some have not been so lucky; Aberdeen, WA and Hoquiam, WA had planned to build a combined 11 miles of levee to prevent flood damages, but the funding to build these was sourced from FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant, discontinued in early 2025 and reinstituted by judicial order in December. While the cities are campaigning once again for these funds (anticipated to be received next month), the levees will not be ready until well after the “Super El Niño” event has passed. Read more here.
$79 Million in Federal Grants to Replace Bridge in Stuart
$79 million has been awarded to the City of Stuart to replace the 100-year-old St. Lucie River Railroad Bridge. This award comes from the larger $5.3 billion nationwide investment announced by the USDOT earlier last week. The new bridge will offer more clearance for boats as well as update the infrastructure for the Brightline and other freight activities that use the railroad. The added clearance will allow for 90% of vessels to pass without requiring the bridge to open, decreasing delay times. The updates will also hopefully increase safety, reduce collisions, and encourage greater usage of railroad services. Read more here.
Port and Shipping Attacks Contribute to Soaring Wheat Prices
Grain markets are facing continuing volatility with port and shipping attacks intensifying, resulting in higher global prices due to the resulting capacity constraints. 97% of Russia and Ukraine’s export capacity has been shut down, leaving only one Russia facility operating with a 160,000 tons per month capacity. No shipments are active from the Ukraine Black Sea terminals. This existing activity is a fraction of what full capacity looks like, with Reuters calculations noting that in a typical month, an average of 7.2 million metric tons of grain are exported from the Russia and Ukraine terminals. Wheat prices are already 30% higher than they were one year ago, with an estimated 6.5% rise in this month alone. Read more here.
Data Visualization of the Week
New Aquatic Biodiversity Monitoring Map in Washington
A tool released by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) in 2024 was the beginning of an innovative and accessible monitoring resource for interested parties across the state. Now, it is also an interactive ArcGIS aquatic biodiversity map featuring data displayed and aggregated at the HUC12 watershed scale with focal species count, information, and location. Using environmental DNA metabarcoding technology they can identify species presence based on reference datasets and all of it is in one centralized place. This is a valuable resource for conservation and planning groups that provides information without disturbing habitats, is an easily scalable monitoring solution, and has high effectiveness at a 95% detection probability. While this doesn’t fully substitute visual confirmation for monitoring, WDFW hopes that the information will help facilitate smarter planning, restoration prioritization protocols, and streamlined environmental reviews. Read more here, and explore the map here.
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