Environmental and public health groups are offering early pitches on how EPA could strengthen its proposed oil and gas methane rules -- including with stepped-up inspections for smaller operations and prohibiting routine gas flaring -- as they also endorse EPA’s concept of bolstering community monitoring of emissions leaks.

Owners of coal-fired power plants may offer to retire the units early rather than install expensive yet relatively inefficient measures to limit their greenhouse gas emissions after EPA issues expected “inside-the-fence” power sector GHG standards under section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act, some observers say.