In a pair of rulings issued last week, a state appeals panel ordered two circuit courts to conduct hearings on whether a 170-mile oil pipeline would benefit the public.This gives the landowners whose land was used the right to challenge the construction project that has been complete and pumping oil for almost two years.“It’s a unique problem, because they proceeded [with the pipeline] before these basic questions were asked and answered,” said Thomas J. Pliura, the owner of McLean County-based Law …