Dive Brief:

• The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) proposal for cutting greenhouse gas emissions could make steeper cuts and would be less expensive than an earlier analysis, the environmental group said Thursday.
• The revised analysis takes into account the latest trends for increased energy efficiency savings, the early retirement of coal plants because of low natural gas prices and a surge in renewable generation.
• NRDC's analysis is based on earlier work that has influenced the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in its efforts to draft greenhouse gas emissions standards for existing power plants. EPA expects to release the proposal in June.

Dive Insight:

EPA's upcoming proposal will likely force more coal-fired power plants to retire sooner than they would have otherwise. The coal industry and coal states are already fighting it, but EPA appears to be focused on making the proposal as flexible as possible.