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On July 27, 2023, the NAM filed an amicus brief in support of the government's and intervenors' position that mining law authorizes mining companies to use more than one mill site--nonmineral land used for mining support activities--per plot of land the companies seek to mine if no individual mill site is larger than five acres. Multiple mill sties are necessary to support mining. We argue that critical minerals obtained from mining play an important role in manufacturing, providing crucial inputs needed to make electric vehicles, batteries, computers and a wide range of other products. Reduced production of critical minerals would undermine U.S. national security interests by making the core military apparatus dependent on foreign sources of critical minerals. Reduced production of critical minerals would also produce worse environmental and safety outcomes by making less critical minerals available for the U.S. to develop a reliable renewable energy network and allowing nations that have weaker environmental and labor standards to dominate the critical mineral market.