After Landmark Ruling, Former CIA Advisor Warns: “A Forgotten Resource May Finally Be Unlocked”

Jim Rickards Says Supreme Court’s Overturning of Chevron May Reshape How the U.S. Manages Its Most Strategic Natural Reserve

/EIN News/ -- WASHINGTON, April 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Supreme Court’s recent decision to overturn the Chevron Doctrine may prove to be more than a regulatory shift — it may open the door to a long-overlooked federal resource.

That’s the view of former CIA advisor Jim Rickards, who believes the ruling could mark the beginning of a profound change in how America interprets longstanding laws governing access to public lands and mineral reserves.

“This wasn’t just a case about agency authority,” Rickards says. “It potentially reshapes how the courts — and the public — interact with parts of the law that have been dormant for decades.” 

A DECISION WITH FAR-REACHING IMPLICATIONS

The Chevron Doctrine, established in 1984, gave federal agencies broad discretion to interpret laws that were deemed ambiguous. Its reversal in 2024 repositions courts — rather than unelected regulators — as the final arbiters of statutory meaning.

Rickards believes this shift could bring new scrutiny to long-standing rules related to federally managed natural resources, particularly those rooted in legislation from the post–Civil War era.

“There are provisions in the U.S. Code that have quietly governed mineral-rich lands for over a century,” Rickards explains. “They were rarely challenged, largely because Chevron gave agencies the final word. But now that authority is shifting.” 

AN UNTAPPED NATIONAL ADVANTAGE

Rickards points to the vast quantities of copper, lithium, silver, and rare earth elements beneath federal lands — materials critical to energy independence, infrastructure, and defense.

“This isn’t hypothetical. The resources are there. They’ve been mapped. They’ve been studied,” Rickards says. 
“What’s changing is the legal environment around access.” 

He notes that while the Supreme Court did not address resource law directly, the ruling may prompt a broader reexamination of how long-standing land-use and permitting laws are interpreted moving forward.

FROM BUREAUCRATIC CONTROL TO JUDICIAL CLARITY

Rickards views the moment as a turning point — not because of any new statute, but because of how existing statutes may now be interpreted differently in court.

“We’re not talking about activating old laws like flipping a switch,” he clarifies. “We’re talking about restoring judicial review over regulations that have blocked access for decades.” 

In Rickards’ view, this shift could make it easier for lawmakers, courts, and even private operators to push for reconsideration of previous agency restrictions — particularly in resource-abundant regions of the western United States.

A NATIONAL STRATEGY, REDISCOVERED

Rickards describes the opportunity not as a discovery, but a return — a chance to revisit the original intent of public land protections written generations ago.

“Our predecessors didn’t forget about these resources — they protected them,” he says. 
“And now, for the first time in modern history, we may have a legal environment where that protection can evolve into action.” 

About Jim Rickards

Jim Rickards is a lawyer, economist, and former advisor to the CIA, Pentagon, and U.S. Treasury. For over 40 years, he has helped guide U.S. strategy through crisis planning, economic war games, and systemic risk analysis. He is the bestselling author of Currency Wars, The Death of Money, and The Road to Ruin.

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