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BySamHananel and Blake Nicholson The Associated Press WASHINGTON A federal judge on Monday refused to stop construction on the last stretch of the Da- kota Access pipeline, which is progressing much faster than expected and could be operational in as little as 30 days. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ruled af- ter an hourlong hearing that as long as oil isn't flowing through the pipe- line, there is no imminent harm to the Cheyenne River and Standing Rock Sioux tribes, which are suing to stop the project. But he said he'd consider the arguments more thor- oughly at another hearing on Feb. 27. The tribes requested the temporary injunction last week after Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners got federal permission to lay pipe under a Missouri River reservoir in North Dakota. That's the last big section of the $3.8 bil- lion pipeline, which would carry oil from North Da- kota to Illinois. The tribes say the pipe- line would endanger their cultural sites and water supply. They added a reli- gious freedom component to their case last week by arguing that clean water is necessary to practice the Sioux religion. "The mere presence of the oil in the pipeline ren- ders the water spiritu- ally impure," said Nicole Ducheneaux, lawyer for the Cheyenne River Sioux tribe. But Boasberg said any immediate harm to the tribe "comes from when the spigots are turned on and the oil flows through the pipeline." Despite the setback, American Indian activist Chase Iron Eyes said pipe- line opponents will con- tinue fighting the project in the courts and maintain- ing an on-the-ground pres- ence in the drilling area, "in peaceful prayer and in dignity as we assert our rights to protect our envi- ronment, our economy and our sovereignty." It had been expected that the drilling work would take about two months and that the full pipeline sys- tem would be operational within three months. But David Debold, a lawyer for Dakota Access, said work is going more quickly and suggested the pipeline could be ready for oil in as soon as 30 days. "We're not in a position where we can agree to any kind of stopping of the pipeline," Debold said. Energy Transfer Part- ners received final ap- proval from the Army last week to lay pipe under the reservoir and complete the 1,200-mile pipeline. Drill- ing work began immedi- ately under Lake Oahe, which is the water source for both tribes. The company's attor- neys filed court documents early Monday urging Boas- berg to reject the tribes' re- quest, calling the new re- ligious freedom argument "exceedingly tardy," "not construction-related" and a "last-minute delay tactic." "Dakota Access has the greatest respect for the re- ligious beliefs and tradi- tions of (tribes). The emer- gency relief sought here simply is not necessary to protect the exercise of those beliefs or preserve those traditions," wrote William Scherman, a com- pany attorney. The Corps also filed court documents Monday arguing that a work stoppage isn't war- ranted, saying the tribes will have plenty of time to make their case before oil flows through the pipeline. Work under Lake Oahe had been held up in the courts until President Don- ald Trump last month in- structed the Army Corps of Engineers to advance construction. The Army is involved because its engi- neering branch manages the river and its system of hydroelectric dams, which is owned by the federal government. Energy Transfer Part- ners maintains that the pipeline is safe and dis- putes that cultural sites have been affected. But an encampment near the con- struction in southern North Dakota drew thousands of protesters last year in sup- port of the tribes, leading to occasional clashes with law enforcement and more than 700 arrests. The camp has thinned to fewer than 300 people, but law enforcement offi- cers continue to maintain a presence in the area. The cost to taxpayers has reached $33 million, the state's Joint Information Center reported Monday. DECISION Judge denies request to halt Dakota Access pipeline work JAMESMACPHERSON—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Razor wire and concrete barriers protect access to the Dakota Access pipeline drilling site near Cannon Ball, North Dakota. By Catherine Lucey and Rob Gillies The Associated Press WASHINGTON A politi- cal odd couple, President Donald Trump and Cana- dian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resolutely played up their similarities at their first meeting Mon- day, even as obvious differ- ences lurked behind their public smiles. After their White House meeting, the North Amer- ican neighbors emerged to hail their close ties, with Trump promising to "build upon our very historic friendship" and Trudeau noting the "special" bond between the countries. But it was hard to escape their contrasting world- views. Speaking to reporters, Trump defended his re- strictive refugee and immi- gration orders, saying that "we cannot let the wrong people in." Trudeau, on the other hand, said Canada continues to "pursue our policies of openness." Trudeau later acknowl- edged that there are times when the two countries dif- fer. But he said, "The last thing Canadians expect is for me to come down and lecture another country on how they chose to govern themselves." During their post-meet- ing news conference, the reporters Trump called on did not ask about two pressing issues of the day — the future of embattled National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and North Korea's reported ballistic missile launch. The stakes for Trudeau in his Washington visit are high: He is seeking to en- sure Canada is not crip- pled as Trump re-negoti- ates the North American Free Trade Agreement. And he got much of what he was looking for. Trump praised the "outstanding" trade relationship between the United States and Can- ada and said he would only be "tweaking" it going for- ward. "We'll be doing certain things that are going to benefit both of our coun- tries. It's a much less severe situation than what's tak- ing place on the southern border," said Trump, who has been strongly critical of America's trade situa- tion with Mexico. Trade relations with the U.S. are crucial to Canada as more than 75 percent of Canada's exports and 98 percent of its oil exports go to the U.S., while 18 percent of American exports go to Canada. Monday's meeting was billed as one the most im- portant for a Canadian leader with a U.S. president in decades because of Can- ada's heavy reliance on its southern neighbor. Trump greeted Trudeau with a firm handshake as the Canadian arrived at the White House on a blustery morning. The two posed si- lently before reporters, un- til Trump suggested they shake hands for the cam- eras. Trudeau did bring a personal gift — a photo of Trump with Trudeau's fa- ther, the late Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. Justin Trudeau, age 45, and Trump, age 70, have vastly different outlooks on the world. Trudeau is a liberal who champions free trade and has welcomed 40,000 Syr- ian refugees. He calls him- self a feminist and women make up half his Cabinet. Trump has few women in his Cabinet. He has taken a protectionist stance on trade and wants to crack down on the inflow of mi- grants and refugees. His order to temporarily halt entry into the U.S. by peo- ple from seven predomi- nantly Muslim nations is currently tied up in court. Trump already has been good for Canada as he has said he'll expedite approval of the Keystone XL pipe- line. The pipeline from Al- berta through America's midsection would carry more than one-fifth of the oil Canada exports to the United States. Former President Barack Obama turned down the pipeline, a major blow Canada's oil industry. Canada has the third largest known oil reserves in the world and needs in- frastructure to export its growing oil sands produc- tion. The country is Amer- ica's largest supplier of for- eign oil. In addition to pri- vate meetings, the leaders held a roundtable discus- sion with female executives from the U.S. and Canada and announced a task force focused on women in the workforce. Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump was in attendance at the meeting and helped recruit participants and set the agenda, fresh evi- dence of her policy influ- ence. Said Trump: "In order to create economic growth and lots of very good, well- paying jobs, we must en- sure that our economy is a place where women can work and thrive, and I think that's happening in the United States much more so. And Ivanka is very much involved in this. And I appreciate you being in- volved in it." Trudeau's Canadian ad- ministration suggested the task force as a way to work on a shared interest. Dina Powell, assistant to the president and senior coun- selor for economic initia- tives, worked to set up the event, along with Ka- tie Telford, Trudeau's chief of staff and Canadian For- eign Minister Chrystia Freeland. NAFTA Canada's Trudeau talks trade with Trump at White House 314 Washington Ave., Red Bluff • 530-529-2700 www.TehamaCountyRealEstate.com BRE #01042134 CLEAN 3/2 NEAR SCHOOLS AND SHOPPING. 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