The Biden administration on Monday announced its latest push to cut carbon emissions by setting new efficiency standards for federal buildings and speeding up adoption of technologies to heat buildings with electricity rather than fossil fuels.

The moves are the latest in a growing push to slash natural gas use in residential and commercial buildings, which account for about 12% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

President Joe Biden wants to decarbonize the U.S. economy by 2050 and achieve a 100% clean electricity grid by 2035. Proponents of switching buildings to run on electricity want them powered by that emissions-free grid.

The efforts announced on Monday do not need congressional approval.

More than two dozen cities, mainly in California, have voted to avoid or reduce reliance on gas in buildings. In response, lawmakers in some Republican-leaning states have pushed legislation that would block cities from implementing bans on gas in buildings.

The U.S. government will for the first time develop “building performance standards” for federal buildings in an effort to conserve energy and reduce emissions, the White House said in a statement.

The Department of Energy will pour $10 million into an effort to fund research on and increase market adoption of heat pump water heaters, which run on electricity.

The administration said it is also setting new “Energy Star” standards for heat pumps and directing millions of new dollars to help create incentives for emissions-saving technology.

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