In late 2013, the U.S. State Department granted a Presidential Permit approving the reversal of flow of an existing pipeline that crosses the U.S.-Canadian border in North Dakota.  In contrast to other pending Presidential Permits for several proposed pipelines, such as Keystone XL, it appears that the State Department limited its review in this instance to a short section of the pipeline at the border crossing, as opposed to the entire pipeline.  As noted in an article prepared by Hunton & Williams for the National Law Journal earlier this year, narrowing the scope of the Presidential Permit to the border crossing itself is a more appropriate and streamlined analysis that is more consistent with the history and purpose of Presidential Permits.