Springfield’s energy debate has heated up as State Senator Neil Anderson from Andalusia voiced sharp concerns after the passage of the so-called “Energy Omnibus Bill.” Anderson argues the new legislation grants excessive power to unelected regulators, removes protections that cap energy costs, and pushes taxpayer-funded experimental battery projects into local communities. While acknowledging that lifting the ban on nuclear reactor construction is a positive change, he warns it’s not enough to offset what he sees as a shift toward expensive and unreliable green policies. Anderson insists affordable, reliable energy requires fewer subsidies for wind and solar and a return to coal, natural gas, and increased nuclear development.