A pair of hearings are scheduled Monday in Nebraska and South Dakota, as state officials continue responding to local complaints about the Keystone oil  pipeline expansion.

Landowners in Nebraska are challenging the validity of the state law that authorized TransCanada’s proposed route through the state for the Keystone expansion.

The proposed pipeline needs President Barack Obama’s approval before it could be built across Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska to connect with existing pipelines. It’d carry more than 33.6 million gallons of oil daily.

TransCanada has said that 90 percent of Nebraska landowners along the Keystone XL route, and 100 percent of those in Montana and South Dakota,  have agreed to easements to build the pipeline.

For the second time in just over five years, state regulators in South Dakota are considering whether to approve the South Dakota leg of the long-delayed project.  Officials say it is unlikely a decision will come immediately.  This new hearing was required under state law because of delays at the national level.

The Public Utilities Commission hearing process starts Monday. The state authorized TransCanada Corporation’s project in 2010, but permits must be revisited if construction doesn’t start within four years.  Commission Chairman Chris Nelson says it’s unlikely the panel will come to a decision immediately.

Nelson says TransCanada will present its case first, and then opponents will offer their side. Supporters say the pipeline will create jobs and tax revenues, while opponents argue it could contaminate water supplies.

The pipeline would transport oil from Canada to Nebraska, where it would connect with existing pipelines headed to the Gulf Coast or a refining center in western Illinois.