The idea of habitat exchange has been gaining ground at the state and federal level.  Already several western states have implemented small-scale exchanges through which businesses, energy companies, government entities, and developers purchase credits to set aside habitat for endangered species.  Once this habitat has been purchased, development is then allowed to proceed without the threat of regulatory delay. If this sounds a bit like mafia protection money, maybe that’s because it is.  Developers who are targeted with the threat of expensive permitting delays are given an offer they can’t refuse.  Liberals in government aligned with environmental groups are willing to give them a free pass as long as they pay up.   Habitat exchange has the potential to be something big – much bigger than anything Al Capone could think up. It has the potential to affect nearly all development in the U.S.  This is because endangered and...(Read Full Article)