Canada's Atlantic Provinces would form an "association" with New England. The US federal government, Lamont asserts, will not be "happy" with this turn of events - it will complicate security and defense arrangements, multiply the difficulties in observing and fulfilling a wide range of current bi-lateral agreements and treaties, etc. But it will be "persuaded" by the addition of vast water resources, wood, immense mineral troves, multi-billion barrel oil and tar-sand reserves, etc, to America's economic base and strategic reserves.