A 19th-Century Provision May Hold the Key to America’s 21st-Century Revival WASHINGTON, April 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Long before Silicon Valley and Wall Street, American wealth was rooted in something more foundational: the land itself — and the resources hidden beneath it. According to former CIA advisor Jim Rickards, a largely overlooked piece of that legacy may be coming back into focus. “There’s a stretch of federal land policy that goes back over 160 years,” Rickards says.
“It’s been largely untouched — and most people have forgotten why it was put there in the first place.” Rickards is referring to federal laws and land management practices dating back to the post–Civil War era, during which large swaths of resource-rich land were brought under government control. While often associated with conservation, Rickards believes these lands may now represent one of the country’s most undervalued strategic advantages. A POLICY ROOTED IN POWER — REEXAMINED IN MODERN TIMES Rickards views this legacy of land management as more than historical footnote — a deliberate effort by past generations to preserve physical leverage for the future.
“This wasn’t just about preserving landscapes,” Rickards explains. “It was about maintaining control — over what was in the ground, and the power it could represent someday. ” Today, the materials buried beneath those federally controlled lands — including copper, lithium, silver, and rare earth elements — have become essential to America’s defense posture, energy transition, and digital economy.
But much of it remains legally restricted, unmined, and unmonetized. A SUPREME COURT RULING BRINGS IT BACK ONLINE In 2024, the Supreme Court overturned the Chevron Doctrine, a legal precedent that gave federal agencies sweeping powers to block access to land and resources. “Chevron gave the bureaucracy veto power over America’s inheritance,” Rickards says.
“The Court just took that veto away.” With that barrier gone, Rickards believes we can finally tap into this rich land. NOT AN IDEA. A LEGACY.
Unlike proposals or programs, this asset is already on the books. Already mapped. Already backed by legal precedent.
“This isn’t a theory or a pitch,” Rickards explains. “It’s a real resource that no one has activated in over a century. That’s about to change.” A RETURN TO NATIONAL ROOTS Rickards says the moment calls not for innovation, but restoration — a return to the national playbook that built America’s power from the ground up.
