Baucus said that at a meeting earlier in the day, Rice told him she will request the review later this week in Norway when she meets with her Canadian counterpart, Foreign Minister Peter MacKay.
“I know that once the review is conducted, the Cline mine will be stopped in its tracks,” Baucus said afterward.
Baucus said the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act provides for the type of review Rice will request.
Michael Wilson, Canada's ambassador to the United States, confirmed last month that the Canadian government would initiate a federal review of the proposed mine. Wilson did not further specify the type of review, however, and that is why Rice will follow up with MacKay, Baucus said. Earlier, plans called for a review only at the provincial level.
Baucus also said he has asked Rice to call for an investigation by the International Joint Commission if the Canadian study does not adequately consider the mine's impact in Montana.
The commission is a U.S.-Canada panel charged with preventing and resolving water disputes between the two nations. The commission had a role in the 1988 defeat of a mining proposal in the Canadian Flathead area.
“The Flathead is part of what defines us as Montanans,” Baucus said in a statement. “It's part of our outdoor heritage and I want to do all I can to protect it for future generations to enjoy.”
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