California lawmakers reeling from President Donald Trump’s assault on clean energy are considering a controversial strategy to keep projects on track — slashing environmental permitting further. That plan could intensify a fight between clean energy advocates and environmentalists over the trade-offs between building fast and environmental protection that’s already playing out at home. California officials are scrambling to respond to congressional Republicans’ budget “megabill,” signed into law Friday, which demolishes Biden-era tax credits that incentivize construction of large-scale solar and wind projects, home energy efficiency improvements and electric vehicle purchasing — centerpieces of blue states’ strategies to wean themselves off fossil fuels. Clean energy groups say it will be impossible for California — which already faces a tight budget — to replace those incentives, and are instead pushing lawmakers to cut red tape and allow projects to get shovels in the ground faster.

Other CEQA news:

• The Mercury News (San Jose): Did Gov. Gavin Newsom go too far with CEQA reform?
• Governing: Will California’s weaker environmental rules spur housing production?
• The National Law Review: New CEQA exemptions in 2025: streamlining housing & infrastructure development in California