Insights

In a Clean Coast Texas webinar, Gretchen Greene explains how economic evidence on harmful algal blooms can strengthen the case for water quality improvement measures.

How do you measure returns from habitat restoration when benefits take decades to develop? We created a framework to capture the Roots Program’s ecological, climate, equity, and community returns.

Our team shares findings on the economic benefits of dam removal and demonstrates a new searchable database built for Open Rivers Fund.

Economist and mediator Bea Covington on why data center development shouldn’t be a yes-or-no decision, and why communities need a say before deals are signed.

Open Rivers Fund asked Greene Economics to bring together scattered research on the economic impacts of dams and dam removal. Greene Economics synthesized the evidence across nine categories, standardized monetary values to 2025 dollars, and built a searchable database to help owners, utilities, and agencies weigh repair against removal.

Washington’s Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP) lays out a credible, economy-wide roadmap to meet the state’s 2050 climate targets. But projections are a starting line, not a finish line.

Greene Economics and Confluence Environmental Company evaluated economic potential for seaweed aquaculture in Washington for Maritime Blue. The analysis identified targeted investments in processing, permitting, and markets to support long-term regional development.

How has Washington’s Clean Fuel Standard affected consumers? The Washington Department of Ecology commissioned Greene Economics to estimate the program’s effects on gasoline and diesel prices, separate from broader market forces. Our analysis estimated that the program likely added less than one cent per gallon.

When septic systems fail across the Puget Sound region, who pays? In Coastal Management, Sabine Postma and colleagues examine the cost, who bears the burden, and how to pay for it.

Greene Economics developed ecological performance standards for Spokane’s University District, using historical ecology and ecosystem services to guide regenerative urban growth. The framework sets targets for twelve ecosystem services—from aquifer recharge to native vegetation restoration—so future projects can restore, rather than deplete, the district’s ecological assets.

Greene Economics has been selected to evaluate the return on investment of a statewide habitat restoration program led by Point Blue Conservation Science. The analysis will quantify ecological, economic, and social outcomes to better understand the full value of restoration investments.

With nearly 70% of America's 84,000 dams over 50 years old, communities face decisions about aging infrastructure and river restoration. Greene Economics will analyze the economic impacts of dams and benefits of removal for Resources Legacy Fund's Open Rivers Fund, covering cost savings, property values, jobs, recreation, fisheries, public safety, and equity impacts. The study will guide decision-making for policymakers, practitioners, and advocates across the American West.

Southwest Florida’s fisheries, tourism, and property values depend on clean water. Greene Economics measured the cost of harmful algae bloom

How can public lands generate new revenue while advancing climate goals? Greene Economics evaluated eight ecosystem service markets for Washington DNR and identified three worth pursuing.

Greene Economics led the 2025 update of Thurston County’s On-Site Sewage System Management Plan to meet new state code and strengthen public and environmental health protections for drinking water, shellfish beds, and Puget Sound. The plan targets vulnerable on-site sewage systems—especially in sensitive and flood-prone areas—enhances data and climate change planning, protects sensitive watershed, and supports more than 55,000 systems serving homes and businesses countywide.

Where should California invest in earthquake early warning? For Cal OES, we worked with UC Berkeley’s PEER Center to conduct a benefit–cost analysis of smartphone alerts, school PA systems, transit, and elevators, and built a scenario tool to set priorities.

Plastic produce stickers add microplastics to Washington’s compost, and no system can remove them effectively. For the Department of Ecology, we assessed compostable stickers, laser etching, and ink-based printing. Our findings informed Ecology’s recommendation to the Legislature: wait for global compostable-sticker standards before a ban.

Greene Economics is partnering with The Nature Conservancy and Highland Economics to study shared oat storage infrastructure in Minnesota’s Driftless Region. The project will help farmers expand production, meet quality standards for food-grade markets, and support the region’s role in rebuilding the domestic oat supply—while improving soil health and economic resilience.

Organic material collected for composting in Washington will nearly quadruple by 2035. For the Department of Ecology, we identified state- and county-level gaps in collection, processing, and markets so local governments and compost facilities can plan infrastructure and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Our fee study for the Department of Health found that biotoxin testing would account for 42 percent of proposed commercial shellfish fees. We recommended that the state fund testing as a public good, as other shellfish-producing states do, and adopt DOH’s proposed licensing-fee increases.