In border states and provinces, Canadians and Americans have long found ways to get along and work together. So, the threat by New Brunswick Premier Bernard Lord to quash two proposals to build liquefied natural gas terminals in Maine is troubling.

Mr. Lord correctly said that the LNG issue is one of international relations. The best way to have relations, however, is to talk with one another, not issue threats. Mr. Lord said he planned to discuss the matter with Gov. John Baldacci at the annual meeting of Canadian premiers and eastern governors that begins this weekend. Let’s hope it is a discussion and not a lecture.

At a forum in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, earlier this week, Mr. Lord said he was concerned with LNG tankers traveling through international waters to go to the proposed facilities on Passamaquoddy Bay. A third proposal for an LNG terminal in Calais was announced later in the week. Tankers headed to any of the proposed Maine LNG facilities would travel fairly close to Canada, both around Campobello Island and near St. Andrews. Concerns have been expressed about safety and the impact on the fishing and tourism industries.

The same concerns should extend to ships headed to Saint John, where Irving Oil has preliminary approval to build an LNG terminal. Tankers headed there would also travel through the Gulf of Maine and Bay of Fundy, although not into Passamaquoddy Bay or close to the United States. If there is an accident involving a tanker headed to either a Maine or New Brunswick terminal, the damage could spread to both countries. The best way to handle such a possibility is to discuss ways to minimize potential problems.

Instead, Mr. Lord said the Canadian government could say no to LNG in Maine just as it said no to an oil refinery in Eastport 30 years ago. First, it wasn’t Canadian opposition as much as the U.S. government’s concern over endangered bald eagles that doomed the refinery. Second, saying no to projects on one side of the border, while championing those on the other, is hypocritical.

In supporting the Irving project, Mr. Lord has bragged that Saint John would become “the energy hub of Eastern Canada” while showing that “New Brunswick is a great place in which to invest.”

Mr. Lord should look out for the interests of his countrymen and his constituents, but not at the expense of his neighbors.